Community of Law and Community of Judges: The European Judiciary and the Future of the Union

ended

The EU judiciary, understood as a community of judges composed by the CJEU, the national judiciary and the ECtHR (particularly after the Charter and the Lisbon Treaty), has been paramount in building the European integration process. The reflections on the future of Europe should keep this fundamental role of European judges. Recent difficulties such as the Euro crisis, challenges for the rule of law or national identities concerns have raised voices for the reform of EU judiciary and the improvement of the judicial interaction between its components. This Jean Monnet Chair proposal pursues to strengthen the study of the EU judiciary in line if the new debates in European integration studies. At the teaching level, the proposal includes a new subject in the curriculum of the law degree at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (EU judiciary) and the introduction of e-learning methods in other two subjects (Fundamental Rights and Freedoms in the law degree and Fundamental Rights and the Process at the Master in Professional Legal Practice). Undergraduate and postgraduate students will have the opportunity to analyse in detail the singularities of the EU judiciary. At the research level the proposal includes two activities: the Cycle of Seminars on EU Studies will address multiple topics on European integration and the International Conference: The Future of the EU Judiciary will be focused on the new perspectives of the EU judiciary. The publication of an academic collective book in a prestigious publisher as a result of the international conference pursues to contribute to the European research agenda and to strengthen academic networks. Finally, the proposal foresees the Cycle of Conferences: Following the Future of Europe in which the proposed Chair and its team will follow-up the developments of the Conference on the Future of Europe in an informative manner aimed at disseminating the EU reform debates to civil society.