The proposed panel is a book launch of the book ‘The Rule of Law In the EU and Its Challenges: Issues, Actors and Strategies’ recently published by Springer. The 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. The rule of law is meant to ensure that all powers are subject to rules, and that no one is above the law, regardless of their institutional, political, economic or social position. It is a constitutive element of all liberal democracies and a foundation of the European Union as well, where it guarantees fundamental rights and values and fosters a workable legal, political and social environment. The current attacks on the rule of law in Europe have severe consequences for the legal order and, more broadly, for the workings of civil and political society.

On the one hand, the resurgent interest in the rule of law in EU studies is driven by a general reflection on the fundamental values upon which the EU is based. On the other hand, the EU institutions have endeavoured to define new means to strengthen the rule of law in the EU. The book addresses both aspects.

It analyzes the violation of the rule of law from different perspectives, investigating the impact of threats to the rule of law on the quality of European democracy, a central theme in current debates. The topic has been approached from a distinctive interdisciplinary perspective, political, sociological and legal, contextualizing the challenges in relation to a large set of dimensions. The proposed book launch will include a presentation by the editors concerning the objectives of the volume and its main findings. The event will also present two key chapters by its authors and a general discussion of the book by a discussant.