LW302-6-AU-CO:
Law of the European Union
2025/26
Essex Law School
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
02 July 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
LW430
(none)
LLB M100CS Law,
LLB M100MS Law,
LLB M100TS Law,
LLB M103 Law (Senior Status),
LLB MM20 Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM20WS Law with Human Rights,
LLB MM21 Law with Human Rights (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM22 Law with Human Rights (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM30 Law with Human Rights (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV06 Law with Philosophy (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MV16 Law with Philosophy,
LLB MV18 Law with Philosophy (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MV19 Law with Philosophy (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML14 Law with Politics (Including Year Abroad),
LLB ML15 Law with Politics (Including Placement Year),
LLB ML16 Law with Politics,
LLB ML26 Law with Politics (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN00 Law with Business,
LLB MN01 Law with Business (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN02 Law with Business (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN03 Law with Business (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN10 Law with Finance,
LLB MN11 Law with Finance (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN12 Law with Finance (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN13 Law with Finance (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MM00 Law with Criminology,
LLB MM01 Law with Criminology (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MM02 Law with Criminology (Including Placement Year),
LLB MM03 Law with Criminology (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1Q3 Law with Literature,
LLB M1Q4 Law with Literature (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1Q5 Law with Literature (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1Q6 Law with Literature (Including Year Abroad),
LLB M1V1 Law with History,
LLB M1V2 Law with History (Including Foundation Year),
LLB M1V3 Law with History (Including Placement Year),
LLB M1V4 Law with History (Including Year Abroad)
This 15-credit module teaches students about the laws and institutions of the EU and their relationship with the English legal system. It will address questions such as: what is the European Union, and how does its institutions operate? How are decisions in the EU taken? What is the legal order of the EU? How can we critically understand the concepts inherent to EU law and how its different areas are connected?
The aim of the module is to provide you with a thorough understanding of the institutional setting of the European Union and of the Union's distinctive legal order. The relationship between the national legal orders of the Member States and the respective legal order of the EU is to be examined and explained. The module therefore focuses on the legal order of the EU, the functions of the EU institutions and their mutual interaction, the legislative process, the Internal Market and its multi-aspect functions. The overall objective of this module is to build on and introduce foundational doctrines of public law, commercial law, international law and the substantive law of the EU. The module also aims to equip students with the analytical legal skills and thorough knowledge to study EU law or commercial law further.
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a foundational knowledge of the creation and development of the European Union
- Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and functions of the EU institutions
- Explain a thorough knowledge and understanding of the core areas of EU substantive law
- Apply critical skills of research and analysis regarding EU law
- Understand the impact of the EU legal order on the domestic legal orders of the Member States and understand the interrelationship between legal orders and institutions operating at the national and EU levels.
The indicative syllabus includes:
- The development and integration of the EU as a supranational system
- EU institutions and legislative process
- Foundational principles of primacy and direct effect
- Judicial Architecture-Remedies for breach of law
- Single market- Economic freedoms
- Brexit
The module will be delivered via:
10 x 2hr lecture
4 x 1hr tutorial
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
Exam |
Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during Summer (Main Period)
|
Exam |
Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 180 minutes during September (Reassessment Period)
|
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Marios Koutsias, email: mkouts@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Marios Koutsias
The Law Education Admin Team - lawschoolug@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 2 hours, 2 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Essex Law School
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The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
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