Introduction to Law, Legal Systems and Law of the EU (in English)

Teachers

Included in study programs

Teaching results

The main aim of the course is to clarify the subject of regulation of individual legal branches (with application to the legal order of the Slovak Republic) and their sources, differences between legal systems and analysis of their common features and specifics. Another aim of the course is to characterize EU law as a result of the process of European integration and the existence of the EU. It includes an analysis of the basic legal concepts of EU law and its sources.

Knowledge and understanding: orientation in legal terminology, understanding of the basic differences between legal systems, division of legal branches and the subject of their regulation with emphasis on the legal order of the Slovak Republic, knowledge of the characteristics of EU law, understanding of the relationship between EU Law, International Law and the National Law of the Member States.

Practical skills: orientation in legal regulations and their application on practical cases, analysis of model situations and selected types of contracts, ability to work with and analyze the various sources of EU Law.

Competences: understanding of legal contexts within various branches of law and individual differences between them with the application of acquired theoretical knowledge in follow-up subjects within the study program and in subsequent practice.

Indicative content

Introduction to the theory of law. Introduction to state theory. Introduction to the system of law. Selected issues of Constitutional law of the Slovak Republic. Selected issues of Civil law of the Slovak Republic. Selected issues of Commercial law, Labor law and Criminal law of the Slovak Republic. Law enforcement in the Slovak Republic. Law of the EU as a result of the European integration process. EU legal system. States as a constitutive element of the EU. Individuals as a constitutive element of the EU. EU judicial system.

Support literature

Odporúčaná literatúra:
WINKLER, M. et al. 2020. Basics of Law. Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm : Bratislava. ISBN 978-80-225-4781-9.

JANKŮ, M., MÁROVÁ, A. 2018. Fundamentals of Private Law (Textbook). VŠ finanční a správní. ISBN 978-80-7408-163-7.

BOGDAN, M. 2013. Concise Introduction to Comparative Law. Europa Law Publishing. ISBN 978-9089521255.

SIEMS, M. 2018. Comparative Law. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316633557.

CRAIG, P., DE BÚRCA, G. 2020. EU Law: Text, Cases and Materials. Oxford : Oxford University Press, Seventh Edition, 2020, ISBN 9780198859840.

CHALMERS, D., DAVIES, G., MONTI, G. 2019. European Union Law: Cases and Materials. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, Fourth Edition, 2019, ISBN 9781108463591.

Syllabus

1.Introduction to the theory of law the concept, content and subject matter of the law, law and other normative systems, the content of the law and the form of the law, sources of law, legal norm (features of a legal norm, the structure of the legal norm, validity, effectiveness, types of legal norms) branches of law (public law, private law; substantive law, procedural law), application and implementation of law. 2. Introduction to state theory attributes of state, historical context of the state concept, sovereignty, state functions, division of power, forms of state, classification of Constitutions, forms of government, state models (anarchy, liberalist state, welfare state, authoritarian state), democracy, the idea of the rule of law, electoral systems. 3. Introduction to the system of law international law, Slovak law and law of the EU (basic features), world legal systems - continental, Anglo-American, religious-philosophical (the basic features, sources of law, structure), the place of Slovak law in the continental legal system. 5. Selected issues of Constitutional law of the Slovak Republic the concept, subject and sources of Constitutional law, Constitution of the Slovak Republic, territorial organization of the state and population, fundamental rights and freedoms, forms of realization of public power, elections and the right to vote in the Slovak Republic, legislative power, executive power, judicial power, territorial self-government. 5. Selected issues of Civil law of the Slovak Republic the concept, subject and sources of Civil law, participants in civil law relations (natural and legal persons), limitation and prescription, rights in rem, inheritance, law of obligations (individual types of contracts), liability for damage and unjust enrichment, family law. 6. Selected issues of Commercial law, Labor law and Criminal law of the Slovak Republic the concept, subject and sources of Commercial law, business companies and cooperative, business obligations (selected contract types), the concept, subject and sources of Labor law, labor relations, employment, employment contract, the concept, subject and sources of Criminal law, crime (concept and types), fault, sanctions. 7. Law enforcement in the Slovak Republic judicial system of the Slovak Republic, procedural rules of selected legal branches - Civil procedural law, Criminal procedural law, the importance of International courts (European Court of Human Rights). 8. Law of the EU as a result of the European integration process European integration history - the idea of ​​European integration, stages of European integration, the Union's supranational model of integration - the legal nature of the EU, the values, goals and principles of the EU, the powers of the EU, the symbols of the EU. 9. EU legal system I. autonomy of EU law, subject and scope of EU law, sources of EU law (primary law, general principles of EU law, international treaties, secondary law, case law of the EU courts). 10. EU legal system II. the EU law decision-making process, legislative powers of EU institutions, main characteristics of EU law (direct and indirect effect of EU law, primacy of EU law, the principle of state liability). 11. States as a constitutive element of the EU EU membership - European identity, EU enlargement, enhanced cooperation, opt-outs, withdrawal from the EU, accession process of the Slovak Republic to the EU - timeline and the milestones. 12. Individuals as a constitutive element of the EU citizenship of the EU - the relationship between national citizenship and EU citizenship, rights deriving from EU citizenship and their characteristics (e. g. the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the EU Member States, the right to vote and to stand as a candidate at elections to the European Parliament and municipal elections, citizens' initiative, the right to petition the European Parliament, the right to apply to the European Ombudsman), protection of fundamental rights in EU law - development, Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. 13. EU judicial system origin and development of the judicial system, procedural aspects in proceedings before the EU courts, types of proceedings before EU courts, cooperation between national courts and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Requirements to complete the course

10% continuous control of study in class (active participation, control questions, assignments for individual work), 10% test, 20% presentation of the selected topic/case, 60% written exam

Student workload

156h (participation in lectures 26h, participation in seminars 52h, preparing for seminars 13h, preparing a case study or topic for seminar 10h, test preparation 13h, final exam preparation 42h)

Language whose command is required to complete the course

English

Date of approval: 14.01.2022

Date of the latest change: 26.10.2023