The rule of law crisis and democratic backsliding in the EU. Open questions and outstanding challenges

This volume is the final result of a two-year research project titled The Rule of Law Crisis and Democratic Backsliding in the European Union. Domestic and International Implications, funded by the Fondazione di Sardegna. Conceived in 2021, the project examines the internal and external challenges faced by the EU in safeguarding the rule of law, a topic that has remained urgent amidst democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and geopolitical shifts affecting the EU’s position in the global context. The volume gathers interdisciplinary contributions analysing the rule of law crisis across multiple dimensions: civil integration of migrants, democratic backsliding, the role of far-right parties in EU institutions, solidarity in defence policy, confiscation of Russian assets, judicialisation of international disputes, biopolitics and biolaw, and the impact of digital democracy. The essays collectively underscore that the internal consolidation of democratic principles remains critical for the Union’s stability and international legitimacy. Without the rule of law, societal cohesion and order are at risk. This book seeks to offer a modest yet timely contribution to one of the EU’s most pressing political and legal challenges.