International congress: Overcoming the crisis of democratic values in the EU

Tietoja

In recent years we have witnessed a democratic backsliding that has affected every area of our societies. Since before the crisis of refugees in 2015, the European Union has been immersed in a process of enlargement with third countries rather than deepening in its core values and policies. The rise of populisms, the attacks to journalists, and to the judiciary are only some of the visible aspects of a complex process of dismantling the rule of law, a core value of the European Union as established in article 2 of the Treaty of the EU.
The EU is aware of the urgent action that is needed to save our institutions and values and is trying to monitor the rule of law through the annual reports on each member state. However, while many are talking about the enormous problems that are affecting our rule of law and therefore our democracy, not so many are trying to focus on solutions or proposing ways of overcoming the crisis of democratic values in the European Union.
Is in this spirit that this Congress is held. We seek to explore the interplay between the European Union values and their reflection in society, how they are (de)constructed and its implications for our democracies. The rule of law is a concept intertwined with democracy and human rights and therefore any work focusing on any of the areas of the rule of law is also welcome. Once problems are identified it is vital to propose solutions to guarantee the survival of the EU as we know it. Such a focus can contribute to promoting interdisciplinarity in the EU studies, highlight the interdependence of different socioeconomic, legal, and political dimensions, and facilitate a debate in how to strengthen our European Union.