FE-1 Law of the European Union case studies
FE-1 Law of the European Union · Put your knowledge to work in context.
FE-1 Law of the European Union is one paper in the Final Examination – First Part suite sat by graduates seeking entry to professional barrister training in Ireland. It tests whether you can reason with EU law as a practitioner rather than recite it: identifying the applicable Treaty provision or measure, selecting the controlling case law of the Court of Justice, and applying both to a dense factual scenario under pressure. The FE-1 Law of the European Union case studies are 5 cases and about 5,036 words.
1Case 1 - Rye bread with a 7% fibre claim: national threshold versus harmonised nutrition claim rules
A Danish bakery, Rugbrod ApS, has sold packaged rye bread in Member State X since 2022. Its label states 'high fibre'.
821 words, about 4 min2Case 2 - Posted construction workers and a regional wage and guarantee regime
z o.o., a Polish construction company, wins a subcontract to refurbish a court building in Member State Z. It posts 12 employees for eight months.
1,150 words, about 6 min3Case 3 - A regional grant, a cut-price land lease and an exclusive freight terminal
Region R, whose GDP per head is 72% of the EU average, wants a logistics operator for its new freight hub. It grants LogiCo (i) EUR 4.5 million towards a EUR 12 million automated warehouse; (ii) a 30-year lease of publicly owned land at EUR 1 per m2 per year, while an independent valuer puts the market rent at EUR 45 per m2 per year; and (iii) an exclusive 15-year right to operate the region's only public freight terminal, with fees subject to approval by the region.
1,234 words, about 6 min4Case 4 - A last-instance court, a late EU plea and a refusal to refer
A telecoms operator, TelX, is fined EUR 2 million by the national regulator for breaching a national rule on number portability. The rule was adopted to implement Directive (EU) 2018/1972.
901 words, about 5 min5Case 5 - A private security firm's neutrality rule and a headscarf applicant
Ms Y applies to SecurCo, a private security company with 300 employees, for a job as a security guard at a public transport hub. SecurCo's internal rules, negotiated with the works council, prohibit all employees in contact with the public from wearing visible signs of political, philosophical or religious belief.
930 words, about 5 min