The infringement procedure – Articles 258 to 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – is the main enforcement mechanism enacted by the Commission against a Member State whenever it is of the opinion that the Member State is in breach of its obligations under EU law.

During this online course you will learn the practical insights of the procedure and acquire the professional skills required to give persuasive answers to the inquiries of the Commission, to voluntary remedy the alleged infringement and to avoid a potential Court case.

What will you learn?

This online course will provide you with a practical understanding of the infringement procedure, analysing in detail the role of the Commission and the position of the Member States.

This analysis will allow you to understand the capacities and prerogatives of both actors, determining the different respective administrative and procedural strategies, which the two can resort to throughout the procedure.

If you are a national official, the online course will equip you with the right methodology to improve the capacity and quality of your national administration responses to Commission investigations on alleged infringements.

In the potential scenario of the initiation of the jurisdictional phase of the procedure, the online course will also be of help to you to select the right defence strategy to improve your State’s position during the litigation.

In case of a final condemnatory ruling after the procedure, this online course will provide you with tips on how to comply with the judicial decision as swiftly as possible and hence avoid a new procedure, this time under Article 260 TFEU.

Course methodology/highlights

The online course’s contents will be illustrated with examples and cases from infringement practice.

All sessions will be followed by periods of Q & A allowing for the exchange of ideas, and discussions where participants will have the opportunity to share professional experiences.