Students due to start their second year of studies in the Bachelor of Laws course on Monday were notified that a compulsory study unit would not be on offer during the coming academic year only three days prior.

The study unit, European Union Law, has long been a compulsory study unit undertaken during the second year of the law course.

On Friday afternoon, students received an e-mail from a faculty secretary stating that the unit, which carries eight European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits and is generally taught throughout the year, would not be on offer. Instead another two electives of four ECTS each would have to be selected as a replacement.

“This e-mail is just to inform you of the update and to give you some time to choose your electives accordingly,” the e-mail read.

No further explanation was provided to students affected by the change, nor an explanation on why such a decision had been made. It is not clear whether the unit would be tackled at a later stage of the course or whether the planned changes were expected to be permanent.

To inform you of the update and to give you some time to choose your electives accordingly

At the time of writing, European Union Law was still listed as a compulsory study unit on the programme of study for students embarking on the law course from October.

The Faculty of Laws’ staff page for the Department of European and Comparative Law currently lists six resident academics and one visiting lecturer.

When contacted by The Sunday Times of Malta, the dean of the Faculty of Laws, Ivan Mifsud, declined to comment on the situation, saying only that a meeting had been set with the Malta Law Students Society to discuss the matter further.