JJUA14133U EU Development Law

In Denmark the GDP per capita is approx. 34.700 €, in the EU the figure is approx. 19,000 €, whereas the average figure in the developing world (LDCs) is approx. 200 €. Many of these developing countries have close ties to the EU, not least due to the fact that many of them are former colonies. The EU and the Member States together account for more than 30 billion € per year in development assistance thus being the world’s most important donor. Likewise, the EU is the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid. The provision of both development assistance and humanitarian aid is regulated by a large number of EU bodies and it is covered by both the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and a number of secondary legislative measures (both hard law and soft law).
This course examines the different legal aspects of the EU's provision of development assistance and humanitarian aid. In doing so, the following will be covered:
- Background to the present regime
- The institutional framework
- The EU’s competences
- The legal framework – both the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and secondary legislation
- EU development cooperation (in particular vis-à-vis the so-called ACP countries, i.e. a number of countries in Africa-the Caribbean and the Pacific)
- Humanitarian aid
- Promotion of European values (democracy, human rights, etc.)
- Tying/un-tying of aid

The course will start by a brief introduction to the field of EU development law followed by an overview of the historic development. Following this a presentation of the most important institutions, procedures and relevant sources of law will be given. Thereupon the course will turn to consider various specific issues related to EU Development law, in particular the cooperation with the ACP countries (non-trade issues in the Cotonou Agreement), promotion of democracy and human rights, the regulation of the provision of humanitarian aid and the requirement that aid be un-tied.
Throughout the course the different topics will be illustrated by EU case law.
Students are expected to take an active part during classes. It is planned that the course will contain a number of exercises and the teaching schedule may have to be adapted so as to accommodate this.