European Policy, International Relations

General Foundation

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: • Understand the structure, functioning and decision-making process in the EU. • Define and explain the theoretical framework of the multi-level operation of state and supranational structures, as well as its practical and substantive implications. • Analyze the various processes and processes in shaping the country's positions in European steps and, more generally, the factors contributing to EU decision-making. • Understand the process of Europeanisation and its implications for national policymaking.

The course includes two distinct sections. The first one analyzes the structure and its decision-making process of the EU. The aim is to familiarize students with the functioning of the EU, in particular from the perspective of a national administration. This section examines in brief: • The historical evolution of the European integration and the institutional features of the EU after the Lisbon Treaty, in particular the competences and roles of the main EU institutions. • Decision-making procedures within the EU, especially at the pre-legislative stage and the significance of multi-level decision-making. Brief reference will also be made to the history of Greece's accession to the European project and of its consequences. The second section analyzes in particular how European decisions are transposed into domestic governance, the procedures followed for this purpose and the direct and indirect consequences of the gradual expansion of policy areas where decisions are made at EU level for the domestic context. The section examines in particular: • The concept of multi-level governance within the EU and the effects of this process on the structures and functions of the Greek state. • The forms with which such decisions intervene and affect national policies and structures. • Modifications in the way in which national competences are exercised as a result of the gradual "Europeanisation" of the institutions, structures and policies of the country, as a result of the increasing osmosis between the national and supranational levels. • The relationship between the various levels of governance and the changes in the competences in the Greek administration as a consequence of European policies and directives. The lectures’ progression will be as follows: 1. The evolution of European integration - from the Common Market to the federal logic. 2. Greece's historical relationship with European integration - causes and consequences. 3. The institutional structure of the EU. 4. The decision-making and the policy-making process in the EU. 5. EU integration as a factor influencing domestic policies. 6. The concept of multi-level governance: a new political and institutional policy framework. 7. The shaping of Greek positions in the European decision-making process (interest groups, political parties, economic actors, national administration). 8. The notion of "Europeanisation" of domestic policies - the intrusion of European priorities into the Greek system of governance.

European politics, European integration, EU

04-05-2020