The fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe has created an extraordinary opportunity to raise democratic societies in that part of the world. However, since the 2008 economic crisis and throughout the ongoing pandemic, Europe has seen a rise of populist movements, which depart from governing by “the rule of law” in favour of the “rule by law”. During the webinar, Professor Martin Krygier, an acclaimed expert on the rule of law, will shed some light on theoretical assumptions of the rule of law, its implementation in the Central and Eastern Europe, and the regional understanding of the rule of law. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Professor Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland.
The webinar is part of the series “Spring with the Rule of Law in CEE”, organised by Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) and SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Language of the event is English. Live streaming will be availabe for all interested parties on the day of the event. Registration required for active participants (will open soon).
Professor Martin Krygier, an acclaimed expert on the rule of law and an active contributor to the development of this concept worldwide will talk about theoretical assumptions of the rule of law, its implementation in the Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Communism, and the regional understanding of the rule of law.
Professor Krygier will juxtapose the ideal of the rule of law, which in the western world is understood in a specific way, and its practical significance. In other words, Professor Krygier will explain how the rule of law influences the key areas of life, such as politics, legal policy, economy, and social relations.
Currently, we can talk about the return of the Central and Eastern Europe to governing by the “rule by law”, which manifests itself in the rise of all kinds of populist movements. Therefore, juxtaposing the socio-political reality with the ideal of the rule of law seems to be indispensable for rethinking of the meaning of this idea.
The webinar series “Spring with the Rule of Law in CEE” is organised by Riga Graduate School of Law and SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The series aims to raise the awareness of participants about the fundamental concepts of the rule of law system, its Central and Eastern European specifics and the traps that await society during the creation of a fully democratic political community.
Participants will have an opportunity to attend meetings and discussions with acclaimed experts who have spent their time on in-depth research of the rule of law, Central and Eastern Europe, and the legal practices strengthening these ideals.
The series aims to shed some light on emerging issues and opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe and the European Union as a whole.
Martin Krygier – is Gordon Samuels Professor of Law and Social Theory, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney, Honorary Professor at the School of Global Governance, ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, and Senior Research Fellow, Rule of Law Program, CEU Democracy Institute.
His publications include Spreading Democracy and the Rule of Law?; Rethinking the Rule of Law after Communism; Community and Legality; The Rule of Law after Communism; Marxism and Communism; Philip Selznick. Ideals in the World; Civil Passions; Between Fear and Hope. Hybrid Thoughts on Public Values and Bureaucracy: The Career of a Concept. He writes extensively on the rule of law, and law and politics in central and eastern Europe. His present research is focused on (anti?)-constitutionalist populism. In 2016 he was awarded the Dennis Leslie Mahoney Prize in Legal Theory and in 2020 became a Member of the Order of Australia.
Alexandra Mercescu – is a Lecturer in Law at the West University of Timisoara (Romania) and an affiliated researcher at CLEST (Centre for Legal Education and Social Theory, Wrocław University, Poland) and Nomos (Centre for the International Research on Law, Culture and Power, Jagiellonian University, Poland). She holds a Ph.D. in comparative law from La Sorbonne for which she obtained the 1st Prize of the "Centre français de droit comparé". Alexandra is the author of Pour une comparaison des droits indisciplinée (Helbing Lichtenhahn, 2018), the editor of Constitutional Identities in Central and Eastern Europe (Peter Lang, 2020) and a co-author of Rethinking Comparative Law (forthcoming in 2021 with Edward Elgar). During the current academic year, Alexandra received the re:constitution Fellowship, a joint program of Exchange and Analysis on Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe promoted by Forum Transregionale Studien and Democracy Reporting International. Besides comparative legal theory and constitutionalism, her academic interests also include populism, legal epistemology, the relation between law and culture, and legal education.
Professor Adam Bodnar – is a lawyer specializing in constitutional law and human rights. He has held the position of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Poland since September 2015. He is also a former Vice-President of the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights (2010-2015). Throughout his career, he has been working with many NGOs, including Panoptykon Foundation (Chair of the Foundation Council), ClientEarth Poland (member of the Program Council), Professor Zbigniew Hołda Association (co-founder and member of the board). Additionally, he was a member of the Civic Legislation Forum operating at the Batory Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (2014 - 2015).
Prof. Bodnar is an author and co-author of numerous scientific publications, in particular on the topic of human rights. His doctoral theses A multilayer citizenship in the European constitutional space received a special prize in a competition organized by Przegląd Sejmowy (Sejm Overview), a bi-monthly publication of the Polish Parliament (Sejm). Professor Bodnar obtained his post-doctoral degree (habilitacja) at the University of Warsaw in 2019. His post-doctoral dissertation was published as Wykonywanie orzeczeń Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka w Polsce. Wymiar instytucjonalny (Implementation of Judgements of the European Tribunal for Human Rights in Poland. Institutional Dimension), (Wolters Kluwer).
Date and Location
Thursday, March 25, 2021, online
Contact
SWPS University: Filip Cyuńczyk
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RGSL: Ieva Racenaja
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