The Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute and the European Policy Centre (Connecting Europe project), and are pleased to invite you to the upcoming event “The Rule of Law beyond the EU Member States: Assessing the Union’s Performance 2026” on 29 October 2026, 11.00-12.30, at the European Policy Centre (Rue du Trône, 14-16, 1000 Brussels) and online.
The rule of law is critical to democracy and the functioning of the European Union. Deteriorating standards in several EU member states threaten corruption, fair elections, and erode mutual trust between EU member states. While EU institutions are responsible for safeguarding the rule of law, the European Commission’s Annual Rule of Law Reports fail to assess the EU’s own rule of law performance.
To address this gap, the Rule of Law Clinic at the Central European University Democracy Institute in Budapest has produced the third edition of the Shadow Rule of Law Report, which evaluates the rule of law within the EU. The report discusses recent developments in access to the court in the EU, main issues in the anti-corruption framework, and also significant problems in the internal market dimension of the rule of law at the EU level. The report also examines how geopolitical factors influence the enforcement of the rule of law by EU institutions, as well as the enforcement of the EU’s own laws.
This hybrid Policy Dialogue, co-organised by Connecting Europe and the Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute, will present the main findings of the report and discuss the major rule of law challenges facing the EU with EU decision-makers, civil society and academia.
Speakers:
- Johannes Greubel (European Policy Centre),
- Dimitry Kochenov (CEU Democracy Institute Rule of Law Clinic, Professor of Legal Studies, CEU Vienna)
- Barbara Grabowska-Moroz, Director of the Rule of Law Clinic at the CEU Democracy Institute
- Sophie In ‘t Veld (former Member of the European Parliament)
- Filipe Marques (judge; former president of MEDEL – Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés)
- Laurent Pech (Professor of Law and Dean of UCD Law School & Clinical Co-Director and Senior Research Fellow at the CEU Democracy Institute)
- Alberto Alemanno (Jean Monnet Professor of European Union Law & Policy at HEC Paris; The Good Lobby)
- Joelle Grogan (CEU Democracy Institute; moderator)
To participate in person, please register here.
For online participation, please register here.
The first edition of the report is available here.
The second edition of the report is available here.
