The course focuses on the so-called ‘supporting, coordinating or supplementary’ competences of the European Union. In the fields coming within this category of EU competences, the Union has the power to take action to support, coordinate or supplement the action of the Member States, without superseding their competence. The course looks in particular at the Union’s competences in the field of culture and how they are exercised. It examines the Union’s cultural policy, its historical development, the procedures for its formulation and its instruments. The course also explores the Union’s actions related to culture, cultural heritage, the cultural and creative sectors and cultural diversity in the context of other Union policies. Particular emphasis is placed on the internal market and the Union’s external relations while culture is also approached from the perspective of fundamental rights.