LAW6012 European Union Law Coursework Assignment Brief 2026 | Arden University

LAW6012 Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a European Union Law assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

• Critically evaluate the nature and framework of EU law.
• Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the substantive provisions of European Union Law in selected areas and show a critical awareness of relevant social and political issues.
• Utilise critical reasoning and problem-solving skills to identify issues of EU law, selecting relevant legal principles to reach logical conclusions.
• Communicate legal arguments in written form using appropriate legal terminology.
• Graduate Attribute: Discipline Expertise
• Knowledge and understanding of European Union Law. Possess a range of skills to operate within this sector, have a keen awareness of current developments in working practice being well positioned to respond to change.

All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module. 

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in (see referencing section for more information). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.  

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Maximum word count: 2500 words Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. All other printed words ARE included in the word count. Students who exceed the wordcount up to a 10% margin will not be penalised. Students should note that no marks will be assigned to work exceeding the specified limit once the maximum assessment size limit has been reached. 

LAW6012 Assignment Task

You need to tackle either Question 1 or Question 2.  

LAW6012  Question 1 – Essay Question

 To what extent is there a contrast between how the primacy of European Union law has been viewed from the perspective of the Court of Justice of the European Union and from the perspective of national courts?  

Critically discuss the issue by reference to relevant case law on the relationship between European Union law and national law.   

(2500 Words) (70 Marks) (LOs: 1-5)

Question 2 – Problem-based Question

Italian Poultry Industry  

As a result of the Ukraine-Russia war and increase in wheat prices, the Italian poultry industry is in serious decline. Out of 200 producers of poultry products operating in 2018, only 32 are remaining in 2025. The newly elected Italian government adopts the (fictional) National Treasure Act 2025 to revive the once booming domestic poultry industry.

The Act stipulates the following measures: 

1. For the import of every 100kg of frozen whole chicken to Italy. Importers are required to pay €200. Importers from other EU Member States, however, get a 50% reduction.
2. Specific hygiene and quality controls are introduced for all eggs and eggs products imported to Italy. To pass them, importers must pay a fee of €100 per 200 eggs and €50 per 100 kg of egg products. 
3. There is also a compulsory egg stamping, though only for €000.5 per 10 eggs, Compulsory egg is aimed at helping consumers known with no difficulty the origin of eggs and their level of quality. The collected fee, in turn, is intended to fund additional social benefits for workers in the poultry industry in Italy. To complete this procedure, importers are provided with premises equipped with specifically designed freezers. Importers can rent them for €10 a day. 
4. A new rate of VAT (sales tax) on all beef and beef products sold in Italy, which is 75% higher than the previous one.

HappyChicken is a poultry producing company established in Germany. It imports and sells frozen chicken, eggs and egg products in several EU Member States, including Italy. It wants to bring a claim against the Italian government before a court in Rome for the breach of European Union Law. Under this claim it wants to recover the charges levied under the new Act. In the meantime, it has no other choice but to increase the prices of its products sold in Italy by 50% to cover the charges introduced by the Italian government. 

GrupoJuan, a Spanish company producing beef, also wants to bring a claim before the same court challenging the legality of the new tax rate imposed on all beef and beef products. Advise both clients under the relevant provisions of European Union Law drawing upon the relevant case-law, with references to the reasoning provided by the CJEU.

(2500 Words) (70 Marks) (LOs: 1-5)

Formative Feedback  

You have the opportunity to submit a draft plan of your assignment (500 words) to receive formative feedback.  

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner.  

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further details.  

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student. 

Referencing Guidance

For students studying the LLB (Hons)  You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide-ranging case law and ensure this is referenced using the OSCOLA system. The My Study Skills Area contains an OSCOLA Referencing Interactive Tutorial. You must use the OSCOLA referencing method in your assignment.  

For students studying the BA Joint Honours programmes 

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide-ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system (See “Referencing Guide‟ in the Study Skills Guide in My Resources).  Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library 

LAW6012 Assessment Criteria (Learning objectives covered – all.