Reinforcing Rule of Law Oversight in the European Union

This book provides the definitive reference point on all the issues pertaining to dealing with the 'crisis of the rule of law' in the European Union. Both Member State and EU levels are considered. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the concrete legal bases and instruments that the EU may avail itself of for enforcing rule of law, and the volume clearly demonstrates that a number of legally sound ways of rule of law oversight are available. Contributors are leading scholars who assess the potential role to be played by the various bodies in the context of dealing with the EU's rule of law imperfections. - Contains a clear catalogue of all the key means available to boost member state's compliance with the rule of law, appealing to scholars and policy-makers studying the issues of rule of law enforcement in the EU - Includes contributions from the foremost specialists in rule of law enforcement, giving readers access to the most relevant and informed research - Boasts a clear and balanced analysis, tailored to solve the problems outlined, and discusses concrete solutions for the practical problems the EU is facing

Part I. Establishing Normative Foundations: 1. Reinforcing EU monitoring of the rule of law: normative arguments, institutional proposals and the procedural limitations Carlos Closa 2. Beyond legality - before democracy: rule of law caveats in the EU two-level system Gianluigi Palombell 3. Overseeing the rule of law in the EU: legal mandate and means Christophe Hillion 4. Protecting democracy inside the EU: on article 7 TEU and the Hungarian turn to authoritarianism Bojan Bugaric Part II. Proposing New Approaches: 5. Enforcing the basic principles of EU law through systemic infringement actions Kim Lane Schepple 6. Mutual trust: the virtue of reciprocity – strengthening the acceptance of the rule of law through peer review Ernst Hirsch Ballin 7. The rule of law and the role of fundamental rights: seven practical pointers Gabriel N. Toggenburg and Jonas Grimheden 8. The potential of the EU charter of fundamental rights for the development of the rule of law indicators Martin Scheinin 9. The EU charter of fundamental rights as the most promising way of enforcing the rule of law against EU member states András Jakab 10. Protecting the rule of law (and democracy!) in the European Union: the idea of a Copenhagen Commission Jan-Werner Müller 11. From Copenhagen to Venice Kaarlo Tuori Part III. Identifying Deeper Problems: 12. EU democratic oversight and domestic deviation from the rule of law: sociological reflections Paul Blokker 13. Why improve EU oversight of rule of law? The two-headed problem of defending liberal democracy and fighting corruption Milada Anna Vachudova 14. The missing EU rule of law Dimitry Kochenov Epilogue: living in a glass house: Europe, demoracy and the rule of law J. H. H. Weiler.