74513 - EU INSTITUTIONS

Learning outcomes

This course analyzes the origins and main developments of EU institutions with a special focus on the last EU institutional cycles. By the end of the course, students should be able to: understand the evolution and the current institutional design of the EU; assess the role played by each institution in different decision-making methods and in different policies; compare the last institutional cycles; discuss main political developments and challenges in EU politics.

Course contents

The course is structured into lectures according to the detailed program below.

In the first part (weeks 1–7), following an introduction to the EU as a political system, its major developments in terms of deepening and widening, and the theory of differentiated integration, the course focuses on the core EU institutions (European Commission, Council of the EU, European Council, European Parliament) and their roles in the policy-making process.

The second part (weeks 8–10) examines the EU’s responses to recent crises—including the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine—with particular attention to the institutional dynamics and leadership involved in crisis management.

The course is taught in the second semester and is designed for undergraduate students, including those who may not have previously taken courses on the European Union.

 

PART I: EU Institutions

 Weeks 1–3: Course overview; Introduction to the EU as a political system; Institutional development of the EU; EU enlargement and Brexit; The EU as a system of differentiated integration

Mandatory Readings:

• Hix, S. and B. Høyland (2011), The Political System of the European Union (3rd ed.), Red Globe Press, chapter 1

• Hodson, D., U. Puetter, S. Saurugger, and J. Peterson, eds. (2021), The Institutions of the European Union (5th ed.), Oxford University Press, chapter 2

• Nugent, N. (2017), The Government and Politics of the European Union (8th ed.), Palgrave, chapter 5

• Schimmelfennig, F., D. Leuffen, and B. Rittberger (2015), ‘The European Union as a System of Differentiated Integration: Interdependence, Politicization and Differentiation’, Journal of European Public Policy, 22(6), pp. 764–782

• Schimmelfennig, F. (2018), ‘Brexit: Differentiated Disintegration in the European Union’, Journal of European Public Policy, 25(8), pp. 1154–1173

Week 4: The European Commission

Mandatory Readings:

• Hodson et al. (2021), chapters 5, 8, 9

• Peterson, J. (2017), ‘Juncker’s Political European Commission and an EU in Crisis’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 55(2), pp. 349–367

• Müller, H. and I. Tömmel (2022), ‘Strategic Leadership: Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission’, in Women and Leadership in the European Union, Oxford University Press

• Baracani, E. and H. Kassim (2024), ‘The “Geopolitical Commission”: An End of Term Review’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 62(Annual Review), pp. 41–51

Week 5: The Council of the European Union

Mandatory Readings:

• Hodson et al. (2021), chapters 4 and 14

Week 6: The European Council

Mandatory Readings:

• Hodson et al. (2021), chapter 3

• Tömmel, I. (2017), ‘The Standing President of the European Council: Intergovernmental or Supranational Leadership?’, Journal of European Integration, 39(2), pp. 175–189

• Müller, H. and I. Tömmel (2024), ‘Between Cooperation and Rivalry: The Leadership of Charles Michel as President of the European Council’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 62(Annual Review), pp. 41–51

Week 7: The European Parliament

Mandatory Readings:

• Hodson et al. (2021), chapters 6 and 15

• Dinan, D. (2015), ‘Governance and Institutions: The Year of the Spitzenkandidaten’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 53(AR), pp. 93–107

 

PART II: THE EU'S RESPONSE TO CRISES

 Week 8: Crisis Governance and a Federalist Alternative

Mandatory Readings:

• Fabbrini, S. (2024), A Federalist Alternative for European Governance: The European Union in Hard Times, Cambridge University Press

Week 9: The Refugee Crisis

Mandatory Readings:

• Smeets, S. and D. Beach (2020), ‘When Success is an Orphan: Informal Institutional Governance and the EU–Turkey Deal’, West European Politics, 43(1), pp. 129–158

• Baracani, E. and V. Sarotto (2022), ‘The European Commission's Role in EU–Turkey Migration: Political Leadership Through Strategic Framing’, West European Politics

• Baracani, E. and L. Santini (2023), ‘The European Parliament’s Political Leadership: The Case Study of EU Foreign Policy Towards Turkey’, Journal of Common Market Studies, 61(5), pp. 1377–1393

Week 10: COVID-19 and the War in Ukraine

Mandatory Readings:

• Kassim, H. (2022), ‘The European Commission and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pluri-Institutional Approach’, Journal of European Public Policy, DOI: 10.1080/13501763.2022.2140821

• Baracani, E. (2023), ‘Ideational Agenda-Setting Leadership: President von der Leyen and the EU Response to the Invasion of Ukraine’, West European Politics (open access)

• Baracani, E. and M. Danesi (2025), ‘The European Parliament’s Foreign Policy Behaviour: The Case of EU Foreign Policy Towards Ukraine Following the Russian War of Aggression’, European Security (open access)

 

Readings/Bibliography

The required readings are the same for both attending and non-attending students.
A detailed list of mandatory readings for each lecture is provided in the course syllabus.

The main textbooks for the course are:

1. Hodson, D., Puetter, U., Saurugger, S., and Peterson, J. (eds.) (2021), The Institutions of the European Union (5th edition), Oxford University Press

2. Fabbrini, S. (2024), A Federalist Alternative for European Governance: The European Union in Hard Times, Cambridge University Press

Teaching methods

- Traditional lectures

- During each class, students' participation will be encouraged

Assessment methods

For all students, the course grade is based on a written exam on the two parts of the program.

The written exam consists of a long and structured answer question that requires a response of about 60-80 lines.

Students have 1 hour to complete the written exam.

During the exam, the use of any supporting materials such as textbooks, notes, or electronic devices is not allowed.

The maximum score achievable by providing all correct and complete answers is 30 with honors. The exam is considered passed with a minimum score of 18 out of 30.

Only attending students can take part in the pre-appello at the end of the course.

Requirement to be considered attending students: be present at least for 21/30 classes (70% of attendance in class). Attending students are kindly requested to be enrolled as participants of the course on virtuale.unibo.it to facilitate the collection of presences in class

ERASMUS STUDENTS: it is not possible to take this course as a non-attending student

Teaching tools

The instructor's PowerPoint presentations will be available at the end of each week on virtuale.unibo.it

Students with DSA or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office well in advance (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). It is the office’s responsibility to propose any necessary accommodations to the students concerned. However, such adaptations must be submitted to the instructor for approval at least 15 days prior, who will assess their suitability in relation to the course’s educational objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Baracani