This course engages with the policies and policymaking of the EU through both an examination of the theoretical underpinnings of policymaking and concrete studies of current policy issues. The course introduces students to the major theories of public policymaking and illustrates them in a seminar setting with examples from a range of policy areas.

The course focuses on environmental, energy, and agricultural policy that is discussed in three ways: (1) in the historical context of the European integration, (2) regarding recent and current challenges in the policy area, and (3) within the theoretical frameworks introduced at the beginning of the course.

The aim of the course is to provide theoretical, empirical, and practical knowledge of EU policy-making in three chosen EU policies (environmental, energy, and agricultural). While the first third of the course is dedicated to the theoretical introduction, the second third elaborates on the empirical elements of policies, and the last section of the course is devoted to a simulation of policy-making in the Council of the EU.

Topics of the oral presentation for students will be determined at the first class.