The course is designed to provide students with in-depth knowledge and foster in them a sound understanding of the achievements and challenges of the European Union (EU). The course is divided into three parts. The first part seeks to familiarize the students with the institutional structure of the EU with a heavy focus on the functioning of the institutions of the European Union and the provisions of the Treaties on which the institutional life of the EU is premised. The study of the institutional life, political dilemmas and historical background of the European integration process will allow us to critically examine policymaking in the EU. The second part of the course will observe the complex processes that underpin decision-making in the EU, the juxtaposition and harmony between supranational and intergovernmental modes of decision-making, the co-existence and interaction between European and national policies. The third part of the course covers the current developments within the European Union and will address the EU's fight against corruption within its Member States, the recent migration crisis, the problem of enlargement and the rise of right- wing populist parties and other Eurosceptic actors.