The main part of the teaching activities forming the Jean Monnet Module MAC-EUPACT is integrated into the course on European Union Law (Master Degree in Law), taught by the Module Coordinator, Prof. Simone Marinai.
This is an institutional course which, in its first part, aims to provide the basic notions relating to the European Union legal order and, in its second part, to explore the mechanisms of accountability within the EU legal system, with specific reference to EU policies on migration and asylum and to the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
This second part of the course, which constitutes the thematic core of the Jean Monnet Module MAC-EUPACT, consists of 36 hours of lectures delivered by the Module Coordinator, complemented by 4 hours of in-depth seminars with the participation of external speakers. Further seminars will be held outside the European Union Law course (see the dedicated webpage for further details).
Teaching period: from 16 March to 13 May 2026
The topics covered in the part of the course associated with the Jean Monnet Module are set out below and are divided into four parts:
PART I – THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Lecture 1
The Court of Justice of the European Union within the EU system of judicial protection
Lecture 2
The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the protection of rights in the context of migration and asylum
Lecture 3
The competences of the Court of Justice of the European Union: general framework and application within the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
Lecture 4
Infringement proceedings and the accountability of Member States in the implementation of EU migration policies
Lecture 5
Actions for annulment (I): reviewable acts, pleas in law, and passive standing
Lecture 6
Actions for annulment (II): active standing, time limits for bringing proceedings, and the effects of judgments
Lecture 7
Actions for failure to act and actions for non-contractual liability of the European Union: the application of judicial remedies in the management of external borders
Lecture 8
Preliminary rulings (I): functions, scope of application, and subject matter of the reference
Lecture 9
Preliminary rulings (II): the notion of a national court or tribunal, the discretion and obligation to refer, and the effects of the judgment
PART II – THE EVOLUTION OF EUROPEAN UNION COMPETENCES IN THE FIELD OF IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM
Seminar with Prof. Marcello Di Filippo
Schengen, the evolution of EU competences in the fields of immigration, borders and asylum, and the challenges posed by the New Pact on Migration and Asylum
Lecture 10
The Common European Asylum System (CEAS)
Lecture 11
The New Pact on Migration and Asylum as a renewed framework for European governance
PART III – IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM POLICY AS A TESTING GROUND FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF THE PRIMACY OF EU LAW
Lecture 12
The principle of the primacy of European Union law and its implications in the field of immigration and asylum
Lecture 13
Disapplication and consistent interpretation of national law in the implementation of EU law
Lecture 14
State liability for breaches of European Union law in migration and asylum policies
PART IV – NON-JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN EU MIGRATION GOVERNANCE
Lecture 15
European Union agencies and accountability in migration, asylum and border management policies
Seminar with Prof. Francesco Battaglia
The role of the European Ombudsman in handling complaints concerning maladministration in the control of external borders
Lecture 16
Political accountability in the governance of European Union migration policies
Lecture 17
Financial accountability and control over the use of European Union funds in the field of migration and asylum
Lecture 18
The externalisation of European Union migration policies and accountability-related challenges
