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WESSELS Wolfgang & SCHRAMM Lucas - The European Council : A Real World Analysis of the Leaders' Institution (25h)
Professor Wolfgang WESSELS & Lucas SCHRAMM
Academic Assistants: Sara AREZES
This course takes a specific interest in the role and functions of the European Council in the EU’s institutional architecture: what are its relations with the other main EU institutions, particularly the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as with national administrations? In assessing the balance of power within the EU’s architecture, we will argue that the traditional dichotomy between a simplified intergovernmental and supranational reading are to be questioned.
The course also examines the relative power positions of different Member States within the European Council and tries to identify how national leaders make use of this system to reach outcomes that are in line with their own national preferences. Claims such as the existence of a ”Directoire” of large Member States, especially of a Franco-German leadership or even a German hegemony, are scrutinised, along with the role of individual political leaders such as Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Jacques Delors, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, or Viktor Orbán. In parallel, the roles of key EU figures of the present set-up like Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa will be examined.
Thanks to the interactive teaching method, the simulation game, and the discussions with real-world actors, students will be able to exercise and adapt oral presentations. They will develop analytical and writing skills that will prove to be an asset for their future professional careers.