EURACTIV's Agenda

of all European Affairs Events, conferences, presentations and workshops.

Tutorial: EU Law for Non-Lawyers

Date

10 Feb 2016 to 12 Feb 2016

Event Type

S - Workshop, course

Section

Science & Policymaking
Justice & Home Affairs
Public Affairs

Event Location

Luxembourg

Event Description

Target group
EU regulatory affairs professionals from business and professional associations, officials and specialists in the national administrations and EU institutions who are non-lawyers but are affected – directly or indirectly – by European Union legislation, for instance by participating in the EU law-making or law approximation process, as well as when applying national laws derived from EU law. Other professionals wishing to gain or expand their knowledge of EU law will also benefit from this training.

Description
The body of national law derived from EU directives and regulations expands into all areas of government and officials in both, national and EU administrations play an increasingly active role as administrators and enforcers of EU law. Therefore, they need a sufficient understanding of legal norms to avoid actions incompatible with EU legislation, leading to compensation claims against them and their authority. On the other hand, regulatory affairs professionals from business and professional associations are required to possess good knowledge of EU legislative framework in order to actively influence the EU law-making process. This series of tutorials will provide a concentrated, in-depth introduction into the most important rules of EU law. It is divided into two modules, starting with the EU legal framework and the new comitology system after Lisbon, moving to decision-making in the EU institutions, and ending with Internal Market rules and case law of the Court of Justice. Practical case studies and a workshop will enable participants to better understand various legal acts and their application in practice.

Module 1 (Day one and two)
The EU Legal System, Comitology procedure after Lisbon, EU founding principles and competences vis-a-vis Member States, decision-making process at EU level, EU law implementation at EU level and the Internal Market and the Fundamental Freedoms.

Module 2 (Day three)
Consequences of breaches of EU law by the Member States and EU institutions, infringement proceedings, actions for annulment, damages actions.

Learning methodology
The programme is divided into two modules to offer participants flexibility in adapting the event to their needs. The tutorial involves coaching by EIPA lecturers and external experts for small groups of participants, allowing for individualisation of the training. The workshops should put the knowledge gained by participants into a practical context to demonstrate the relevance and consequences of EU rules for their daily work. In addition, particular emphasis will be placed on interaction between participants so as to facilitate an exchange of their day-to-day practices.

Objectives
• To provide non-lawyers with in-depth knowledge of the fundamental concepts of EU law and the EU law-making process, as well as deepening their understanding of their role in this process and obligations imposed by EU law to which they are subject;
• To allow participants to gain a practical understanding of the comitology process after Lisbon;
• To fine tune a practical understanding of the relevance and impact of EU legislation on their daily work and the mechanisms of its correct implementation into national systems;
• To provide a platform for the exchange of experience and information sharing.