The Project
The Jean Monnet Module “EU specialized judicial protection” aims at creating an innovative observatory on the protection of EU rights in highly specialized policy fields, focusing in particular on the judicial activities of the EU agencies’ Boards of Appeal.
From 1993 to nowadays, 9 Boards of Appeal have been established on highly technical matters (intellectual properties, plant variety, chemicals, aviation and railway safety, energy, banking and finance). National experiences show that internal mechanisms of review like the Boards of Appeal may lead to a fragmentation of the rights protection system, developing a sectoral case-law and a technical jargon different from the common judicial language.
Moreover, it seems interesting to evaluate also how the EU Courts, that currently decide upon appeal the decisions taken by those bodies, should evolve in order to better fulfil their supervisory role.
Objectives of the Project
Improving teaching on judicial protection in EU Law
The Module involves the creation of a new course on EU specialized judicial protection, hosted by the Department of Law and open also to students coming from other Faculties related to the policy fields in which Boards of Appeal operate. Considering that several jobs are exposed to the Boards’ case-law, the Module will enhance the students’ knowledge on topics which will be highly significant for their professional life.
Fostering interdisciplinary studies, also through the creation of a common, open source, case-law database
The Module aims at fostering horizontal studies to check how different Boards deal with similar legal problems (jurisdiction, individuals’ locus standi, interim measures, etc.). Currently, the Boards’ decisions are available only on each agency’s website, with different research engines (if any). The Module will create a single and common database, improving the collection of data, their classification and the dialogue between different academic backgrounds. Moreover, the creation of such a database will allow the further promotion of research, including the publication of interdisciplinary studies on the Boards’ case-law.
Promoting dialogue between academia, EU and national institutions, practitioners
The Module aims at establishing a permanent network by representatives of the Boards of Appeal, the EU Courts, the European Commission and the academia, with the purpose of exchanging best practices and discussing matters of common interest, in view of future reforms.
