30201

WiSe 15/16: Introduction to European Integration: An institutional system under pressure of crisis

Jochen Roose

Information for students

The written exam will take place 9. February 2016, 14-16 h (last week of the term). A second trial for those who failed in the first one will be 16. March 2016.

Comments

The political system of the European Union has moved from the political periphery to its very center. While during the early decades of its existence people were marginally interested, it is not the least the crisis which has made the EU to a prominent political arena. The lecture offers a thematic introduction to the political system of the European Union. It is an introduction in the sense that in a broad tour d'horizon we will cover mile stones of its history, the core institutional system with its' rules and political arenas surrounding the EU (interest associations, public sphere, public opinion). It is thematic in the sense that the financial crisis which has hit not only Southern European states but the monetary Union and the EU in whole will continuously discussed in respect to its impact on the EU. The lecture is structured into three parts: First, in a double introduction, a rough sketch of the crisis is outlined, and historical precursors, models and the history of the European Union itself are described. The second part analyses the European institutions in depth. The final third part discusses the societal bases of the European Union and the integration process. Besides factual information, theoretical approaches to aspects of the political process or the integration of Europe as a whole will be an important part of the lecture. Introduction 1. The Crisis of the EU 2. Models for the EU: Nation State and Westphalian System The Institutional Core of the EU 3. Structure and Decision Procedures Today 4. History of the EU 5. Explaining the Integration Process: Deepening and Widening 6. European Commission 7. European Council and Council of the EU 8. European Parlament 9. How are Decisions (Im-)Possible in the EU? 10. European Court of Justice 11. The European Central Bank and the Euro Area Political Periphery of the EU 11. Interest Representation 12. European Public Sphere 13. Public Opinion 14. How Democratic Is the EU? close