The overall objective of the master programme is to provide international students with a broad advanced education in international and European law which prepares them for further (PhD) research, private employment/public sector positions at international legal and policy making levels. Below is the full description of all courses. 

To check your time schedule online click here
 

1. Compulsory Courses

International and Comparative Law

Professors: A. VOICULESCU (replacing E. FRANCKX) and R. GOSALBO BONO

• Hours: 13 (Comp. Law - Bono) +26 (Intl. - Franckx) Form: Lectures
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: First
• Credits: 6

The course contains two segments. The first segment refreshes students on the basic issues of international law such as sources, international personality, territory, treaty law, and dispute settlement. The second segment offers a general introduction to those legal systems (i.e. civil law, common law, Muslim law and the "conflict avoiding" Asian tradition) which provide the legal, conceptual and judicial basis for European Union and international legislation and case-law. The purpose of the course is to broaden the strict horizons of national law and to equip students and practitioners with those elements of the different legal systems which are at the core of the elaboration and application of uniform law; the approximation of laws within the European Union and the development of International Law.

Globalization, International Law & Sustainable Development

Prof. S. van THIEL

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lectures
• Exam: Written Final + Team Paper
• Semester: First
• Credits: 3

The course focuses on the question whether existing international governance structures are capable of effectively responding to the main economic, social and environmental challenges arising from globalisation. The course starts from the emerging global consensus that existing and emerging international law and global governance structures can and should be used to steer the globalisation process towards the achievement of the economic, social and environmental objectives inherent in the concept sustainable development. Following a brief introductory part, which will discuss basic concepts (globalisation, global governance, emerging consensus on sustainable development) as well as preconditions for sustainable development (peace and security; respect for the rule of law and human rights; participatory decision-making) the course will address the question how relevant international law and organisations deal with the economic concerns of globalisation (the Millennium Goals and the need for poverty eradication, provision of basic needs, and economic development, Washingtonian consensus, WTO Doha Development Round, UNCTAD, international investment and technology flows, guidelines for TNC), the social concerns of globalisation (1995 Copenhagen World Summit, employment and labour standards and the ILO, public health and the WHO, humanitarian relief to refugees and asylum and UNHCR/Red Cross, education and information society and ITU/WSIS) and the environmental concerns of globalisation (from 1992 Rio to 2002 Johannesburg, multilateral environmental agreements, Commission on sustainable development and UNEP).

EU Institutional Framework and Judicial Protection

Professors: Y. DEVUYST and D. ARTS.

• Hours: 39
• Semester: First
• Credits: 6

Professor: Y. DEVUYST.

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Mid-term + final (written preparation with oral follow-up)

This course provides a general introduction to the European integration process and the European Union. The first part focuses on the historical origins and development of European integration (1945-present, including the evolution in EC/EU Treaties and the evolution in EC/EU membership). The second part is devoted to the complex division of competences between the EU and its Member States. In the third part, the EU’s institutional framework is discussed. Attention goes to the composition, powers, decision-making and functioning of the EU’s institutions (European Council, European Commission, Council of Ministers, European Parliament, co-decision procedure). The fourth part concerns the outcome of the decision making procedures. It involves an analysis of the EU’s legal acts and the open coordination method.

Professor: D. ARTS.

• Hours: 13
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Final written exam followed by an oral exam

EU Economic law

Professor: T. JORIS

• Hours: 26
• Form: ---
• Exam: see description
• Semester: First
• Credits: 3

International and European Protection of Human Rights

Professors: Prof. S. KOUVO, acting professor (Prof. S. GUTWIRTH)

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture & Seminar
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: First
• Credits: 3

International Economic Law and Organizations

Professor: F. HOFFMEISTER

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: First
• Credits: 3

The course first provides an overview of the main international economic organizations, with particular attention for the structure and functioning of the "Bretton Woods" institutions (International Monetary Fund, World Bank). It also includes the basics of international investment law and protection offered by the International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The course then concentrates on the main contemporary international economic organization, the World Trade Organization (WTO). After a brief introduction outlining the main theories and facts of international trade, the main trade obstacles, and a short history of trade law, the institutional aspects (structure and functioning) of the WTO are analyzed, with special focus on the dispute settlement system. Subsequently the course will deal with the main substantive provisions of the WTO system (with focus on most-favoured-nation treatment, national treatment, removal of trade barriers), in particular those concerning trade in goods (GATT, TBT, Dumping, Safeguards), agriculture (AA), services (GATS), and intellectual property (TRIPS). Some time will also be spent on horizontal issues such as trade and environment and development. Attention will be given to the dynamic development of the law in these areas, by reference, where appropriate, to selected dispute settlement cases or to ongoing multilateral trade negotiations.

European and International Competition Law

Professor: J. FAULL

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Oral Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 3

The purpose of the course is to outline the main principles of the European Community's competition policy in respect of restrictive practices, abuses of dominant position, mergers, public undertakings with special or exclusive rights and state aid. Reference is made to legislation, important judgments of the European Court of Justice and decisions of the European Commission. Both substantive and procedural questions are considered, as well as international aspects.

EU External Relations

Professor: B. MARTENCZUK

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 3

The course examines, from a legal point of view, the external relations of the European Union. The first part of the course analyses the EU as an international actor. It traces the historical development of the EU as an international actor, examines the legal personality of the EU, the institutional framework of EU external relations, and the external competences of the EU. The second part of the course is devoted to the instruments and procedures of EU external relations, including the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements, the relationship of EU law and international law, mixed agreements, the EU's participation in international organizations, and the relationship of Member States' agreements and EU law. The third part of the course is devoted to the major policy areas of EU external relations, in particular the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the common commercial policy, development cooperation, and other cooperation policies. Throughout the course, the innovations to EU external relations brought by the Lisbon Treaty are considered and critically assessed.

2. Optional Courses

Public Law Option

Case Study on Public International/EU Law

Professors: S. OBERTHÜR and H. KALIMO

• Hours: 39
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 6

The purpose of this seminar is to provide the students legal field experience in the domain of public law, using environmental law as a case study. It shows how things work in practice and develops their analytical and presentation skills. Civil servants and representatives of the civil society (companies, NGOs, law firms), who all work in Brussels and deal with European environmental law, will assist the students as tutors in clearing a case. The case(s) will be a hypothetical, but similar to those the tutors work with in their regular work activity. The work links substantive environmental law issues to the intricacies of the law making procedures and interest representation in the EU. Students are required to participate actively, write an individual memorandum and present their case during an oral hearing. Each student will present and defend his/her case at an oral hearing. Students will be graded jointly by their tutors and professors Kalimo and Oberthür.

EU Environmental law in an international context

Professors: S. OBERTHÜR and H. KALIMO

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 6

The course aims at capacitating the students to address matters of international and European environmental law during their subsequent professional careers. International and European environmental law continue to grow in importance in many potential fields of work of lawyers, including the European institutions, law firms and academia. To this end, the course is based on two premises. First, students will acquire a thorough knowledge of the most important features of international and European environmental law in general, such as the objectives, principles, institutional frameworks, decision-making mechanisms and the most pertinent challenges. Second, the students will become familiar with core substantive areas of this vast field of law, including for example climate change, biodiversity, waste and product-related environmental regulation. The substantive fields also serve to illustrate and exemplify the general features and their variance in practice. The course applies an interactive, case oriented mode of teaching. Overall, enhancing the students’ ability to effectively address issues of environmental law for both academic and practical purposes is at the centre of the course.

International and European Criminal Law

Professor: P. DE HERT

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Oral Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 3

The course provides an insight into the trans-border aspects of criminal law and criminal procedure. Ever growing international integration has influenced co-operation in criminal matters. The seminar considers the techniques used by states to combat criminality : assistance in the administration of criminal justice (extraterritorial competence of criminal courts, extradition, execution of foreign judgments, transmission of prosecutors, minor international legal assistance); the development of international criminal law (international conventional or customary law regulating the criminal conduct of the individual: drugs, slavery, piracy, currency, etc.); the problems of universal criminal law (war crimes, humanitarian law); the growing trend towards European criminal law (Schengen, Europol, etc.) and the study of the institutional techniques designed to administer these rules (international criminal court, ombudsman, etc.).

Private Law Option

Case Study on European Competitive Law

Professor: T. JORIS

• Hours: 39
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 6

The purpose of this seminar is to provide legal field experience to the students, showing how things work in practice and developing their analytical and presentation skills. Six or seven lawyers (tutors), all working in Brussels and dealing with European competition law, will assist the students in clearing a case. This case will be a hypothetical case, similar to those the tutors are familiar with in their law firm activity. Students participate actively, write an individual memorandum and present their case during an oral hearing. Each student will present and defend his/her case at an oral hearing. Students will be graded by their tutors and Prof. T. Joris

European and International Private Law

Professor: A. NUYTS

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 3

This course aims at developing critical awareness of major issues in Private International Law, from a European and International perspective. Thus, the focus of the course is somewhat different from a traditional course of private international law, in that the issues are not approached from a national point of view but on a comparative basis. The course takes as a starting point the new instruments of private international law which have been adopted by the European institutions, and analyses how they are applied in practice in various Member States with different litigation cultures, taking also into account as a comparison the practice in non-EU legal systems such as the United States (especially to show the influence of constitutional principles on the development of private international law rules). Without neglecting the theoretical foundations of private international law, the course deals mainly with practical issues that arise in civil and commercial disputes. The analysis stresses the development of the practitioner's skills in conflict of law methodologies. Particular attention is given to issues of jurisdiction, new techniques of international litigation such as anti-suit injunctions, worldwide freezing orders and disclosure orders, forum shopping, the doctrine of forum non conveniens. Another part of the course deals with the impact of the internet on the application of traditional conflict rules. Certain issues of cross-border judicial cooperation, such as the service of process, the taking of evidence abroad, and the proof of foreign law are also addressed in the context of international litigation.

International and European Taxation

Professor: S. van THIEL

• Hours: 26
• Form: Lecture
• Exam: Assignments + Written Final
• Semester: Second
• Credits: 3

Following a general introduction, the course concentrates on tax obstacles to the cross border movement of products and production factors and discusses the relevant legal frameworks developed at international and regional level to eliminate these obstacles or mitigate their adverse effects. It first illustrates, on the basis of cases, the main indirect tax obstacles to international trade and compares the legal remedies formulated in the framework of the WTO and the EU. Secondly, also on the basis of cases, it focuses on the main direct tax obstacles to the international movement of production factors and compares the legal remedies formulated in the framework of the OECD and the EU. In doing so all basic international (corporate) income tax issues will be discussed including the extra territorial definition of tax jurisdiction in respect of the various cross border income flows mentioned in the OECD Model Convention, the different methods to avoid double taxation and private sector techniques of tax planning, tax avoidance and tax evasion. In addition special attention will be given to the income tax case law of the European Court of Justice.

3. Master's Thesis

• Independent Study
• Form: Written Paper
• Exam: Presentation and Oral Defence
• Semester: First & Second
• Credits: 18

All students are required to submit an original Master Thesis (paper) in the field of International and/or European Law. The precise topic is chosen by the student in consultation with the supervisor (one of the Professors teaching in the programme). The paper must be at the level of an article in an academic law journal. Each paper is assessed by a committee composed of three Faculty members and is orally defended at the end of the academic year.