Defending the Rule of Law in Europe

The rule of law has been under pressure in recent years. Several EU Member States have taken measures that undermine the independence of the judiciary or the protection of fundamental rights. Disciplinary procedures have, for example, been introduced in Hungary and Poland against judges, coupled with questionable appointment processes of new judges. Such rule of law backsliding has gone hand in hand with unrestricted political and media attacks against the judiciary as well as NGOs. Also in other European countries, the rule of law requires constant maintenance and attention. The Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, for instance, held that the resilience of the Dutch rule of law system needs to be strengthened.

This course addresses the question how it can be ensured that the rule of law is sufficiently protected: what role do EU standards and EU institutions play in the protection of these values?

Course leader

Jasper Krommendijk

Target group

A background in law or social sciences is welcomed but not essential for the course. A basic understanding of (EU) law and the EU is, however, necessary. The course is designed as an (advanced) introductory course addressing various aspects of rule of law approaches from different disciplines. Participants should, thus, be open towards such an interdisciplinary approach. We welcome enthusiastic students with a wish to learn more about the rule of law and a willingness to engage actively in class discussions.

Course aim

This course will help you answering this question in a structured and interdisciplinary way, combining law with legal philosophy as well as sociological and political science approaches to the (empirical) study of the ‘law in action’. The interdisciplinarity is one of the unique features of this course and contributes to a better, in-depth and critical understanding of the concept of ‘rule of law’.