The objective of the constitutional law course is to enable students to acquire an understanding of the Belgian institutional landscape and the organisation of the State at all levels of power, as well as the problems that this organisation through law may entail. It includes a general introduction, an analysis of the constitutional norm, a deepening of the regime of the different political communities (State, federated entities and decentralised entities), a presentation of the hierarchy of norms and of the means of recourse open against the norms.
Introduction 1. The state and the general constitutional framework ; 2. The birth of the Belgian State and the Constitution ; 3. Belgium, a federal state ; 4. The constituent power ; 5. The distribution of competences ; 6. Legislative power ; 7. The executive branch ; 8. The Constitutional Court ; 9. The courts and other constitutionality reviews ; 10. The hierarchy of norms ; 11. The public liberties of Title II of the Constitution.
The evaluation takes the form of a written examination for the different sessions. The aim is to test the students' mastery of the fundamental notions studied and the practical exercises, on the one hand, and to test their ability to carry out research in the Code, on the other. The exam requires skills in memorization, manipulation of legal texts, reasoning, thinking, writing and application of the material. Students must be able to • Restate the elements of theory. • Apply these elements of theory in practice, particularly in the context of solving a case. • Master the important dates. • Finding information in legislative instruments. • Summarise, with precise and adequate vocabulary, the case law seen in the course. • Use legal vocabulary appropriately. • Write a clear, precise and complete (and linguistically correct) answer. • Fill in the relevant legal basis whenever it exists.
• Slides available on Webcampus. • Practical work documents available on Webcampus. • Videos available on Webcampus and on youtube. • Additional documents, related to current events or offering useful and efficient tools to students, posted on Webcampus. • Documents related to the project of accompaniment towards success, deposited on Webcampus.