European Union Family Law - Jean Monnet Module

2026-07-22

nEUfam is a 60h course in European Union Family Law to be held at NOVA School of Law in Lisbon. The proposed project addresses the issue of the pressure that changing family structures and family norms can exert on the future of the European project and whether the EU is equipped to respond to these changes. With evolving family and fertility patterns, the increasing incidence of families that do not align with the traditional model of family, and “culture wars” around family-related matters erupting across Europe, especially in illiberal contexts, the project supplies essential insights and knowledge to rethink EU legal frameworks in ways that account for these shifts. The project especially seeks to understand whether the EU can play a role when it comes to promoting the rights of non-traditional families, and the extent to which this requires amendments to the current legal framework and architecture of the Union. It furthermore assesses the threats to European integration posed by illiberal rules and parties by analyzing their instrumental use of traditional family norms to weaken the EU. With its multidisciplinary, comparative, impact-oriented approach, nEUfam supports EU policymaking in a field that is drawing increasing attention by EU policymakers for the repercussions it yields both on the life and wellbeing of EU citizens, and the survival of the European project.

Portugal

2025-10-01