European Labour and Employment Law

6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 2 with catalog number 4016133FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester

1st semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Enrollment Requirements

De student is ingeschreven in een traject waar het opleidingsonderdeel voorkomt.

Taught in

English

Partnership Agreement

Under agreement for exchange of courses

Faculty

Faculty of Law and Criminology

Department

Publiek recht

Educational team

Evelien Timbermont (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

18 contact hours Lecture

Course Content

The course “European Labour and Employment Law” constitutes an introduction to the Employment Policy (Title IX TFEU) and Social Policy (Title IX) of the European Union. It also seeks to construe the impact of these and other European policies and underlying fundamental economic freedoms on the social acquis at national level. The connection with international law will also be addressed.

In its institutional part, the course deals with such topics as: the linking between European Union law and the labour law of the Member States through an analysis of primary law (cf. positive versus negative integration), the role of the Council of the European Union as ‘legislator’ often in co-operation with the European Parliament, the so-called social partners (European Social Dialogue) and the Court of Justice of the European Union; the legal force and the enforcement of European labour and employment law (cf. direct effect-doctrine); etc.

In its substantive part, the course deals with some selected issues of European labour and employment law taking into account relevant secondary EU law and case law of the CJEU. Examples include occupational health and safety, working time, atypical work, equal treatment in employment, etc. As suggested above, the objective of this course is therefore not to study the material labour law of the European Union in an indepth or exhaustive way.

The lectures are accompanied by group discussions, giving the student the opportunity to reflect critically on various topical issues. In preparation, the student analyses the material provided by the lecturer.

Course material

Practical course material (Required) : Reading materials for the group discussions provided by the lecturer
Digital course material (Required) : A substantial Powerpoint presentation
Course text (Required) : The lecturer provides a reader with the most relevant legal sources (Treaties, directives, case law, doctrinal contributions, etc.)

Additional info

Active participation during the lectures is mandatory.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Students have a specialised overview of EU employment law, i.e. the primary and secondary employment and labour law established by the European Union;
Students are familiarised with the historical development, the sources, the contents, the legal force and the enforcement of European employment and labour law;
Students know and understand the relationship between national, European and international law;
Students understand how legal rules come into existence and evolve and they can report on and critically assess these developments, in particular as regards the recent case law of the CJEU;
Students are able to autonomously carry out research on topical issues of European labour and employment law and report on their findings in a thorough paper.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Paper determines 80% of the final mark.
Other determines 20% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Paper with a relative weight of 80 which comprises 80% of the final mark.

Within the Other category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Group Discussions with a relative weight of 20 which comprises 20% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Evaluation is based on:
(i) a written paper (80%) and (ii) the evaluation of the preparation of and the participation in the group discussions (20%).

The grade obtained in the first examination period (in January) for the "group discussion" module is final. Consequently, there will be no second examination period (in August) for this component.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context