The course will deal with the topic of the position of the European Union in the world from a geographical, political and economical point of view. We will study the European area and community strategies forgrowth in the development and competitiveness of the territories within the Union. More specifically, the following topics will be discussed: the process of the constitution and successive enlargement of the EU, principles and methods of community governance, cohesion policy, the social ‐economic inequality of regions, the process of the convergence of national economies, inter‐government strategies for territorial policies, commercial and monetary integration, the single market and customs union, monetary integration, direct foreign investments, international trade, transport networks, environmental policy and the territorial organization of the European area.