Actors of the European political system

Teacher(s)

Duez Denis;

Language

French

Main themes

The course firstly examines institutional actors (as mentioned in the European Treaties), both European (Commission, Parliament, Council of the European Union, Court of Justice, Committee of the Regions, Economic and Social Committee, European Central Bank, European Investment Bank, etc.) and national (national delegations to the Parliament, the Council of the European Union, to the Committee of the Regions, Economic and Social Committee, etc.). Secondly, the course examines non-institutional actors such as political parties, interest groups, trade unions, companies, advocacy groups, "think tanks", experts, media, opinion polling agencies, etc. It will analyse the way they are organized at the European and/or national levels (ex: European Trade Union Confederation, "BusinessEurope", European Environmental Bureau, etc.).

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	On completion of the course, students will have a global understanding of the whole set of collective actors that contribute to the "European political game", as well as of the main type of interactions among them. They will be familiar with the actors' contribution to the dynamic and the development of the EU.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The course combines two perspectives. On one hand, the course will identify all types of actors participating in the European political system. The course will present their composition, resources and main instruments for action, their identity and political orientations. The weight of each of these actors in the European political decision-making process will be underlined. On the other hand, the course will engage a more dynamic perspective, centred on the interactions among the actors. It will acknowledge the fundamental diversity of actors and levels of governance of the European "political game".

Teaching methods

Lectures.

Evaluation methods

Written exam. The exam covers all the material discussed during the lectures and presented in the reader.

Other information

Support: reader with obligatory readings and list of recommended readings.

Faculty or entity

EURO