The Rule of Law in the EU: Challenges, Actors and Strategies [Hardcover]

This book reflects on the nature of the rule of law in the European Union and the present and future consequences of the attacks that are undermining it. Presenting various case studies, it analyses violations of the rule of law and their impact on the quality of European democracy and on the workings of civil and political society. Written from an interdisciplinary perspective, the book connects legal aspects related to infringements of the rule of law with their political and sociological consequences at both a general and the EU level.

The book is divided into three parts. The first focuses on the rule of law in the European context and the threats to democracy posed by its violations. It examines how populist movements and parties utilize the erosion of the checks and balances in liberal democracies to weaken resisting intermediate bodies, such as dissenting civil society groups. The second part concentrates on the political perspectives, which it approaches both in terms of its general features and through a set of case studies related to violations of the rule of law. The third part provides a legal perspective on these issues and examines the impact of the rule of law and its infringement in several areas, impacting both the internal and external dimensions of the EU.

Introduction.- Part I: General aspects of the rule of law and populism in the European Union.- 1. Historical Perspectives on the Democratic Deficit(s).- 2. Populism and segmentation in contemporary Europe.- 3. Democracy in Europe: Between a Rock and Hard Place.- 4. Populism, human rights, and (un-)civil society.- 5. The Epistemic Vices of Democracies in the Age of Populism.- 6. Too Little, But Not Too Late? Assessing the Role of Sanctions in the EU's Rule of Law Conflict with Poland.- Part II: Political perspectives on populism and the rule of law in key political contexlo