Democracy is under challenge in various parts of the world, and the European Union (EU) is no longer an exception in this respect. The book Dissensus over Liberal Democracy. Insights from European Judges explores what judges do and how they perceive their role in a context where not only their independence is being debated or undermined, but also at a time when other key fundamental values are under strain at both the national and European levels.
The book features interviews with 18 judges from various EU and non-EU Member States and courts. Some of the judges interviewed served at the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Some are constitutional or supreme court judges, others lower court judges from various legal fields, and prosecutors. Some of these judges have been active leaders of their professional associations at the national or international and European levels, or both. Others have gained recognition through their actions in the public sphere, being actively involved in defending the rule of law and their independence in their country through various répertoires d’action. Each narrative reveals unique personal experiences and reflections, shedding light on the role of the judiciary and the rule of law in the face of contemporary challenges. While the book engages with these issues through European narratives, its findings can contribute to broader debates beyond Europe and the EU.
The book includes interviews with (by alphabetical order): Yavuz Aydin (former Turkish judge, founder of ‘Justice for Rule of Law’), András Bálint Baka (former President of the Supreme Court of Hungary), Dragana Boljević (judge at the Supreme Court of Serbia), Lars Bay Larsen (former Vice-President of the Court of Justice of the European Union), Manuela Cadelli (judge at the Namur Court of First Instance in Belgium), Dragoș Călin (judge at the Bucharest Court of Appeals, Romania), Monika Frąckowiak (judge at the District Court in Poznań, Poland), Dieter Grimm (former member of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany), Mariarosaria Guglielmi (president of MEDEL and Italian prosecutor), Javier Hernández García (judge at the Supreme Court of Spain), Małgorzata Maria Gersdorf (former President of the Supreme Court of Poland), Zdeněk Kühn (judge of the Czech Constitutional Court, Czechia), José Igreja Matos (President of the Court of Appeal of Porto, Portugal), Tamás Matusik (former President of the National Judicial Council, Hungary), Luca Perilli (chair of the Trento Migration Court, Italy), Kees Sterk (judge at the District Court of Breda, the Netherlands), Andrea Titz (judge, Vice-President of the Traunstein Regional Court, Germany) and Christopher Vajda (former judge of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland at the Court of Justice of the European Union).
These 18 narratives are complemented by academic commentaries discussing the relationship between law and politics in times of dissensus over liberal democracy provided by Leonardo Puleo (University College Dublin), Viktor Kazai (ULB-IEE), Lisa Conant (University of Denver), Gábor Halmai (European University Institute), Agnieszka Kubal (University of Oxford), Tommaso Pavone (University of Toronto), Katarína Šipulová (Masaryk University), Ramona Coman (ULB-IEE), and Andrew Bradley (ULB-IEE).
This event is organised as part of the research project Activism As A Modality Of Resistance And Communication? funded by the British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers Symposia Follow-on Funding Programme.
The publication Dissensus over Liberal Democracy. Insights from European Judges received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Call HORIZON-C12-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 as part of the research project RED-SPINEL, Grant agreement n°101061621.
With the participation of :
Yavuz Aydin, former judge in Turkey, founder of Justice for Rule of Law
András Bálint Baka, former President of the Supreme Court of Hungary
Tamás Matusik, judge, former President of the National Judicial Council, Hungary
Andrea Titz, judge, Vice-President of the Traunstein Regional Court, Germany
Agnieszka Kubal, Professor of socio-legal studies, University of Oxford
Ramona Coman, professor of political science, Université libre de Bruxelles
Practical information
When? June 5, 17:00 – 18:30 followed by a convivial drink reception
Where? Institut d’études européennes ULB, Spaak Room, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 39 – 1050, Bruxelles
Attendance is free, but registration mandatory: