The Rule of Law and Populism

The Rule of Law and Populism

Emerging challenges and future developments

The international workshop on the rule of law and populism will tackle a range of issues related to the growing impact of populist formations on the EU in light of the June 2024 European elections, and will analyse the mounting threats to the rule of law in the European Union.

The event will be structured as an extended roundtable discussion starting from the recently published book ‘The Rule of Law in the EU - Challenges, Actors and Strategies’ (Springer 2024). The editors and three discussants will introduce and conclude the discussions, which will be organised in three sessions. First, the viewpoints of political sociology, political communication, and political science will be approached by the discussants, Professors Paul Blokker, Hans-Joerg Trenz and Oscar Mazzoleni, discussing topics ranging from the legal consequences of the institutionalisation of populist parties, to the impact of populist sentiments in social media, to the nature and ideological features of populism in different types of parties. Authors of various chapters and the audience will participate to each session and discuss the evolution of the issues they analysed in their contribution and respond to the discussants’ comments. 
In particular, starting from the book, the discussion will address the current and possible future developments of some of the most controversial EU policies, such as security and defence, fundamental rights and social and economic rights, environmental protection. Moreover, the general strengthening of populist and nationalistic parties and movements will be discussed, particularly its impact on the European Parliament elections and more generally on the European political, legal and social context. The impact of these developments will be assessed in relation to the rule of law in the EU and its member States, highlighting current tensions, divergence and threat.

At the EU level, as analysed in several chapters of the book, there are fundamental differences between populist and non-populist views on these topics. These differences, on the one hand, underly the renewal of the ‘cordon sanitaire’ that once again characterised debates on the institutional structure of EU institutions after the 2024 elections. On the other hand, the success of the populist right is posing fundamental questions about the future of an increasingly polarised Union. Related questions concern the extent to which the process of institutionalisation that victorious right-populist forces are now undertaking in their governmental roles will engender new divisions within their party family. Splits are already emerging, but the ideological and policy implications are still difficult to establish and require new analyses to interpret emerging alliances within and across this party family. A political realignment will likely occur in different ways in crucial policy areas, such as environmental policy and responses to climate change, migration policy and security, fundamental rights and social policy.

Aside from its strictly political implications, the ‘populist turn’ of recent years also has cultural consequences, illuminated by sociological studies and analyses of the public sphere and the media. Several chapters of the book deal with these dimensions, but their likely future evolution needs to be examined in light of the potential legal and social changes they might spur and the impact on conceptions of the rule of law at the EU level and in specific countries. Cultural changes include a new salience of questions related to nationalism and ethnic identities and the political responses these issues will likely elicit in connection to different and contrasting approaches to the European project, as well as new technological developments, which impact on the multiple crises that have affected Europe in recent decades and are likely to be affected by ongoing reactions to the polarisation of political and cultural values.  

Programme

4:00 - 4:15 PM
Introduction by Carlo Ruzza and Luisa Antoniolli
4:15 - 4:45 PM
Discussion by Professor Paul Blokker and roundtable on general aspects of the rule of law and populism in the EU
4:45 - 5:30 PM
Discussion by Professor Hans-Jörg Trenz and roundtable on political perspectives on the rule of law and populism in the EU
5:30 - 6:15 PM
Discussion by Professor Oscar Mazzoleni and roundtable on legal perspectives on the rule of law and populism in the EU
6:15 - 7:00 PM
Conclusions by Professors Luisa Antoniolli, Emanuele Massetti, Carlo Ruzza