Overcoming the Crisis of Democratic Values in the European Union brings together 29 leading scholars, policymakers, and legal experts to examine one of the European Union’s most pressing challenges: the erosion of democratic values and the rule of law. Originating from the international congress held at CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia in October 2024, the two-volume work explores both the causes of democratic backsliding and the possible avenues for restoring and strengthening the Union’s foundational principles.
The first volume addresses the conceptual and institutional dimensions of the crisis, analysing the protection of EU values, the evolving understanding of the rule of law, the Union’s responses to violations by Member States, and the relationship between democracy, social rights, media freedom, and judicial independence. It also examines country-specific challenges in states such as Hungary, Romania, Italy, and Spain.
The second volume focuses on judicial institutions and contemporary political, social, and technological challenges. Its chapters discuss the role of judges and constitutional courts in safeguarding the rule of law, the rise of populism and Euroscepticism, democratic solidarity, migration governance, regional challenges to constitutional democracy, and the impact of new technologies on corruption and democratic accountability.
Taken together, the two volumes offer a comprehensive and multidisciplinary assessment of the current crisis affecting democratic values in the European Union and provide a wide range of legal, institutional, and political proposals aimed at reinforcing democratic resilience and the rule of law across Europe.