On Wednesday 31 May 2023, the Institut d’études européennes of the Université libre de Bruxelles (IEE) organised an internal seminar during which PhD, post-doctoral, and visiting researchers had the opportunity to present their on-going work in relation to the protection of the rule of law in the European Union. Professor Ramona Coman, President of the Institute, chaired the seminar, and post-doctoral researcher Leonardo Puleo (IEE-CEVIPOL), was discussant.

Covering various Aspects of the Rule of Law 

 The event thus involved five presentations rooted in various disciplines, including political science, law, and economics, demonstrating the inter-disciplinary nature of scholarly work related to this topic.

Discussions started with Dora Hegedus (LUISS) and visiting researcher at the IEE, who presented “Reflections on the European Council’s dominant role in setting up the Conditionality Mechanism”. Other presentations included: 

  • Laura Schmeer (IEE-CEVIPOL) then addressed “The role of the European Parliament in the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office”.
  • Pauline Thinus (IEE-CEVIPOL) presented a research piece on “The extent of the European Commission’s powers in the implementation of Regulation 2020/2092”.
  • Louise Fromont addressed the topic of “The economisation of the Rule of Law in the EU”.
  • The event ended with Katarzyna Krzyzanowska‘s (EUI) presentation “Constitutional identity– A Perspective from the Polish Constitutional Agents”.

Fostering interdisciplinary Cooperation

The seminar was also an opportunity to foster inter-university cooperation, as visiting researchers from the LUISS University (Rome) and the European University Institute (EUI, Florence) joined our researchers from ULB. 

The organizing team

Dora Hegedus is a PhD candidate in Political Science at LUISS Guido Carli University under the supervision of Professors Thomas Cristiansen and Sergio Fabrini. She holds a Master’s degree in Global Europe: Culture and Conflict from the London School of Economics (2018), and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London (2015). She was visiting researcher at the IEE.

During her university studies in political science, Pauline Thinus specialised in European affairs at Sciences Po Rennes and the College of Europe. She then began her professional career in the academic world in Hungary and Belgium. Following these multicultural and multinational experiences, in 2022 she began a doctorate at CEVIPOL on respect for the rule of law in the European Union, co-directed by Ramona Coman and Anne Weyembergh. She is also affiliated to the IEE-ULB. 

We would like to warmly thank our participants and attendees for this successful and enriching event!