Violations of the Rule of Law: Classification, Proof, and Remedies

ended

"Violations of the Rule of Law are among the most contentious issues in the EU. Although the Rule of Law was enshrined as one of its founding values, disagreements over its violations only came to the forefront of European governance last year when the Parliament and Council adopted a ""rule of law conditionality"" for access to EU funds. Most pressing are disagreements over what constitutes a violation of rule of law principles. Indeed, some member states have announced their intention to create a new Rule of Law Institute to show ""that there could be an alternative interpretation"" that differs from that of the EU institutions. In this context, VIRoL aims to promote understanding not only of the limits that the Rule of Law places on the actions of legal and political authorities, but also of the nature of disputes over those limits. To this end, VIRoL will (a) offer a series of online seminars and in-class workshops for students and professionals, (b) produce a package of short video lectures on key concepts and debates, and (c) create 3 freely available syllabi for a 30-, 60-, and 90-hour course. Both (b) and (c) will be made available in 6 languages. VIRoL thus fulfils 4 objectives of the Erasmus+ Work Program: (1) its focus aims to increase participants' awareness of a crucial and transversal issue for the present and future of Europe and the world; (2) by improving individual skills of analysis and of arguing and acting against violations of the Rule of Law, VIRoL can further develop active citizenship, European identity and social cohesion; (3) the online seminars and videos contribute to the creation of a digital education ecosystem; (4) by opening its seminar and workshop series to a large number of professionals enrolled as overseas students in MA and PhD programs at the University of Genoa, VIRoL can strengthen the role of the EU as a global actor and promote the Rule of Law as a central value for peace, security and human and institutional development."