1. The political and legal background of European integration in the aftermath of World War II.

2. The European Communities (the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community, the European Atomic Energy Community): a) founding treaties; b) objectives; c) governing bodies (institutions).

3. The Single European Act: a) the EU internal market completion; b) new policy areas; c) the institutional reform.

4. The Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty): a) the three pillars of the EU; b) competences and the institutional system; c) the EU citizenship and the protection of fundamental rights.

5. The EU reform under the Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Nice.

6. The principal differences between the Constitutional Treaty and the Treaty of Lisbon. The core provisions of the Lisbon Treaty: a) the nature and competences of the EU; b) legal acts and procedures; c) institutions; d) other developments.

7. The EU in the "post-Brexit" era: the main scenarios of future development.

8. Sui generis legal nature of the EU: between intergovernmentalism and federalism.

9.The conferral and division of competences

10Types of competences: exclusive (art. 3 TFEU), shared (art. 4 TFEU) and supporting (art. 6). Special competences in the areas of economic, employment and social policy; common foreign and security policy.

11.Exercise of competences: proportionality and subsidiarity (art. 5 TEU, Protocol 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality). The role of national parliaments in monitoring the application of the principle of subsidiarity ("early-warning mechanism" - art. 6, 7, 8 Protocol 2).

12Extension of competences: Treaties amendment (art. 48 TEU), "flexibility" mechanisms under art. 352, 114 TFEU, implied powers (internal implied competence (joined cases C-281, 283, 284, 285 & 287/85 Germany and others v Commission), external implied competence (case C-22/70 Commission v Council; 'open skies' decisions, 2002 (Commission v UK, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany)).