Course Description: a challenging course-offering
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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
and/or private/public employment at international legal
and policy making levels. Below is the full description of all courses.
To check your time schedule online click here
| International Law and Legal Systems of the World |
Professor: Erik Franckx and
Ricardo Gosalbo Bono
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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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.
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| Institutional Framework of the European Union |
Professor: Youri Devuyst
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
mid-term + final
(written preparation with oral follow-up)
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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.
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| Globalization,
International Law and Sustainable Development
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Professor: Servaas van Thiel
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
team paper + written final
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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).
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| International Economic Organizations |
Professor: Frank Hoffmeister
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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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.
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| International and European Protection of Human Rights |
Professor: Koen De Feyter
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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This course has the following learning objectives:
- to give an introduction to the genealogy/history
and theory of contemporary human rights and human rights thinking
- to discuss the main existing international (both universal and regional)
systems of protection of human rights
- to look deeper into some controversial human rights issues.
This course focuses both upon the legal aspects of human
rights law and its significance for democracy, the rule
of law and the viability of social diversity. Hence, full
attention shall be paid not only to the historical,
political, cultural and philosophical foundations of human
rights, the 'generations' of human rights, the tensions
between universalism and particularism and the evolution
from national to international protection of human rights,
but also to the universal and regional systems of protection
of human rights. The latter will involve the discussion of cases.
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| International and European Criminal Law |
Professor: Paul De Hert
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
oral final
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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.).
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| European and International Competition Law |
Professor: Jonathan Faull
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
oral final
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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.
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| International and European Taxation
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Professor: Servaas van Thiel
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
take home assignments + written final
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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.
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| European and International Private Law
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Professor: Arnaud Nuyts
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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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.
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| External Relations of the European Union
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Professor: Bernd Martenczuk
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Contact hours:
26
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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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.
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| EU Accession and Neighbourhood Policy
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Professor: Marc Maresceau
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Contact hours:
13
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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The objective of the course is to provide students with
a conceptual framework of the EU’s relationship with its
neighbouring countries. The course will be divided in
three parts. The first part briefly examines the evolution
of the legal and political framework of the relations between
the EU and Central and Eastern Europe since the political and
economic changes on the one hand and provides a general
introduction to the legal aspects of the current relationships
between the EU and its neighbours on the other. The legal
framework of the relations with the enlarged EU’s proximity,
including the relations with the “old” neighbours (EFTA countries),
Turkey, Western Balkans and former USSR with special emphasis on
relations with Russia constitute the major part of the course.
Where relevant, attention will be paid to the European Neighbourhood Policy.
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| Judicial protection in the EU
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Professor: Dirk Arts
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Contact hours:
13
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
final written exam followed by an oral exam
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The objective of the course is to provide students with
a conceptual framework of the EU’s relationship with its
neighbouring countries. The course will be divided in
three parts. The first part briefly examines the evolution
of the legal and political framework of the relations between
the EU and Central and Eastern Europe since the political and
economic changes on the one hand and provides a general
introduction to the legal aspects of the current relationships
between the EU and its neighbours on the other. The legal
framework of the relations with the enlarged EU’s proximity,
including the relations with the “old” neighbours (EFTA countries),
Turkey, Western Balkans and former USSR with special emphasis on
relations with Russia constitute the major part of the course.
Where relevant, attention will be paid to the European Neighbourhood Policy.
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| Selected Problems of E.U.-Law
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Professor: Tony Joris, with participation by Pierre Mathijsen
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Contact hours:
39
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
oral final and written final
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This course has two distinct segments.
The first segment provides a systematic analysis
of EU Internal Market law (taught by Prof. Pierre Mathijsen).
The second segment deals with selected topics such
as Economic and Monetary Union and Consumer Law.
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| Case Study on European Competition Law
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Professor: Tony Joris
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Contact hours:
39
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Education form:
case-study
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Exam:
oral and written final
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The purpose of this seminar is to provide legal
field experience to the students (how do things
work in practice?; developing analytical and
presentation skills). Six or seven lawyers (tutors),
all working in Brussels and dealing with European
ompetition 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
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| Selected Problems of International and Comparative Law |
Professor: Servaas van Thiel, with participation by Edwin Vermulst, Gabriel Wilner and others.
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Contact hours:
39
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Education form:
lecture
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Exam:
written final
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The course has several segments.
The first part consists of a series of lectures
on trade defence instruments and in particular
action against dumping. The second part consists
of lectures on current topics in international,
comparative and European law, which are given by
ad hoc guest lecturers, often within the framework
of the IES lecture series. Topics often are at the
crossroads of EU and international law and policy.
In the near future, a third part of this course
could deal with international and European
environmental law, and other important themes with
an international, comparative and European dimension.
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| Master Thesis in International and/or European Law |
Professor: thesis supervisor chosen on an individual basis
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Independent study
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Education form:
written paper
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Exam:
Presentation and oral defence
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All PILC 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
a publishable article in a solid 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.
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