Master in European Integration and Development

Economic Integration profile

The purpose of this one year Master program is to offer students an education of the highest academic standards on the European unification process. Below is the full description of all courses:

Institutional and Political Aspects of the European Integration
Professor: Irina Tanasescu
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
The Course will explore key issues in the development of EU integration with focus on key issues and policies. The EU will be taken as the key unit of analysis, but attention will be given to both the internal (national, regional) and international actors and context.

Core themes of the Course include:
  • What is Europe, and what is European integration?
    Different theoretical perspectives (functionalism, intergovernmentalism, multilevel governance), historical perspectives (from post-World War II to latest enlargement), current debates (e.g. EU as 'superstate'? Defining borders of the EU?)
  • Who is 'the EU', and how it works?
    The EU institutions and decision-making processes, and their changes over time (with focus on the introduction of co-decision, 'new modes' of governance, and the Constitutional debate post-Nice); EU citizenship and the debate on democratizing the EU (from four freedoms to political rights; rights of non-citizens and Charter on Fundamental Rights; 'democratic deficit' and legitimacy issues; checks and balances and/vs politicization approaches).
  • Why should one bother?
    Examples from policy areas/issues in each of the pre-Lisbon Treaty 'pillars' will be discussed, namely environmental policies (e.g. climate change) and research policy (e.g. the 7th Framework Programme); CFSP/ESDP (e.g. some ESDP missions); JHA (e.g. counter-terrorism).
Students will be exposed to the above themes through the presentation and discussion of selected academic literature and the analysis of selected policy documents. They will be encouraged to deepen the examination of a specific topic (of agreed choice), make autonomous use of a wide range of resources, and offer ideas on issue they consider most important for the understanding of current and future developments in the EU.

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Theory of European Economic Integration
Professor: Jef Vuchelen
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
The aim of this course is to provide a theoretical background to the European integration process.
The main elements of the course are :
  • A discussion of the meaning of integration (including foreign examples and an historical illustration on Europe)
  • A broad theoretical explanation of the stages of the integration process (free trade area, customs union, internal market, etc.) using tools of international trade
  • A detailed discussion of the internal market
  • A discussion of the common policies within the EU (agricultural policy, competition, the road toward the monetary union, its functioning, the introduction of the Euro etc.
  • A discussion of remaining problems (new members, coordination of fiscal policy etc.)
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The Rule of Law in the EU
Professor: Youri Devuyst
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
The course is designed to introduce, and to lead to a general understanding of, the concept of the rule of law and its – greater than static - application in the European Union: whilst the emphasis is on the use of “the law” in practice, this depends, first and foremost, on a clear understanding of the more important, basic concepts.

Scope

In the Union, legislation (secondary law) is adopted by the Institutions on the basis of its primary constitutional documents, the Treaties: these are being constantly amended, most recently by the (reform) Treaty of Lisbon. For its part, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has been particularly bold in interpreting and applying the law. Using the - unique - preliminary ruling procedure as its main vehicle, the ECJ has established a series of principles (primacy, direct effect, compensation for damages) which seek both to underline the independence of the Community and to guarantee the rights of the citizens vis-à-vis the Member States. And whilst no enlargement should affect respect for the law in the Union, certain Union activities do not - as yet - fall to be scrutinised by the EJC. There are also certain non-Union bodies, the European Court of Human Rights, the World Trade Organisation, the EFTA Court, which have an influence on the law as it is applied in the Union. Nevertheless, it remains the case that the principles laid down in the Treaties and vigorously built upon and staunchly defended by the ECJ are being constantly applied by the courts and tribunals of the Member States and that across the entire spectrum of Community activities.

Method
- Discussion of specific topics on the basis of papers or case studies.
- Analysis of ECJ case law in the context of the main areas of Community activity.
- Group participation, as appropriate in the form of the presentation of differing positions on a particular subject.

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The EU and the Stakeholders of the Economy
Professor: Harri Kalimo
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
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Competition Policy and State Aids
Professor: Jose Buendia Sierra
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
The aim of the course is to provide an overview of competition policy in the EC with a special emphasis on State aid control.
The course will cover mainly the following topics:
  • Overview of the EC competition policy: historical evolution, scope, modernisation of procedures, adjustment to changing economic reality within the EU, adjustment to the prospect of enlargement of the EU, other competition authorities and policies outside the EU;
  • State aid: the concept and the scope of its control;
  • Types of State aid which may be allowed: restrictions, mechanisms for approval;
  • The process of shaping rules and policy in the field of State aid: the role of EU institutions, Member States and interested economic actors; the relevance of negotiation, "soft" law and judicial review
  • Services of public interest and competition policy
  • Global mergers and merger control
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Regional Development
Professor: Andrea Mairate
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
Students taking this course are expected to be able to better understand and explain the development of economic and social cohesion through European Regional Policy. By analyzing the origins, evolution and current operation of European Regional Policy students will be confronted with key issues related to the European integration process, in particular its economic, institutional and decision-making set up. They will also have an opportunity to explore the dilemmas facing its future regarding enlargement, institutional re-structuring and the socio-economic impact of the Euro and the Single Market. Throughout the course students will get acquainted with the role of the regions regarding the current stage of development of the integration process and governance issues at regional, national and supra national level. The latter relates in particular to the economic and political significance of cohesion policy in the building of the European Union and their policy options in meeting global challenges.
By the end of the course students will be expected to give elaborated responses to the following questions among others: Why do regional disparities exist in advanced economies? Why does the European Union have a social and economic cohesion policy and what policy instruments does it use to achieve it? What are the origins of European regional policy and how does it work today? What is the economic, institutional and political significance of regions in Europe today? What are the new instruments of European cohesion policy in facing the challenges of globalization and accelerated technological change?

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European Monetary Policy
Professor: Leo Van Hove
Contact hours: 26 Education form: lecture Exam:  written final
At the end of this course, students should understand the institutional framework of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the monetary policy instruments that are available to the European Central Bank (ECB). They should have a clear understanding of the factors that influence the external value of the euro. They should be able to analyse important issues related to the conduct of monetary policy in the euro-zone.

Given the potentially widely divergent background of students, the introductory part of the course is devoted to building a model of exchange rate determination and a model that allows to analyze the impact of government macroeconomic policies in an open economy.
The second part of the course discusses the institutional framework of the ESCB. Topics covered include: mission and functions of the ESCB, targets of the ECB, policy instruments of the ECB, etc.
The final part of the course analyzes several important topics related to the conduct of monetary policy in the euro-zone, such as: the external value of the euro, the importance of regional differences, the interaction between fiscal and monetary policy, the effectiveness of central bank intervention, the transparency and accountability of the ECB, the enlargement of the EU, ERM II, etc.

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Master Thesis
thesis supervisor chosen on an individual basis
Independent study Education form: master thesis Exam:  master thesis
The students must choose out of the block with subjects offered, a domain in which he/she will write his/her master thesis.
  • Subject of Fiscal Harmonisation   [More info]
  • Subject of Economic Analysis of Competition Policy   [More info]
  • Subject of Financial and Social Disclosure   [More info]
  • Subject of Migration and Multicultural Europe    [More info]
  • Subject of EU Social and Educational Policies   [More info]
  • Subject of Sustainable Development and Ecological Issues    [More info]
  • Subject of Sustainable Mobility and Supply Chain Management  [More info]