Available in Russian
Author: Vasiliy Zagretdinov
DOI: 10.21128/2226-2059-2024-3-123-148
Keywords: European Union; rule of law; constitutionalization of the rule of law; constitutionalization of the European Union; populism; post-ideology; erosion of law
The article aims to deconstruct the mechanism of the “rule of law” concept in the legal order of the European Union (“EU”). The study is a critical assessment of this concept across several political and legal dimensions. First, it analyzes the circumstances that contributed to the introduction of the “rule of law” mechanism into the EU’s legal framework. Second, it critically evaluates the actions of key stakeholders in this process, identifying their political goals and aspirations. Third, it assesses this new legal concept in the context of the EU’s legal tradition and the challenges it faces. Finally, the article makes conclusions regarding the ability of the “rule of law” mechanism to address the large-scale political and legal challenges facing the EU. The study refers to a wide range of sources in reconstructing the social reality in which the “rule of law” legal tool was formed. It introduces information, facts, and circumstances not included in classic academic discourse. It also critically evaluates the deeply ideological legal construct of the “rule of law.” Unlike standard works on this topic, it demonstrates how a classical democratic legal institution is used for political purposes and how such an approach can change the essence of the “rule of law”. Its conclusions significantly impact the content of the “rule of law” concept in the current political conditions of the development of the EU, which continues to rely on law as a tool for integration. However, given the deteriorating conditions of political interaction within the EU, the content and application of the “rule of law” concept increasingly deviate from classical legal principles, toward political necessity. This, along with the problems of interinstitutional interaction within the EU, suggests an ongoing erosion of law as an instrument for regulating social relations in legal systems which are well-developed and have a rich legal tradition.
About the author: Vasiliy Zagretdinov – Ph.D. Candidate, Faculty of Law, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Master of Jurisprudence (Private Law Research Center under the President of the Russian Federation named after S.S.Alexeev), Master of Science (London School of Economics), Moscow, Russia .
Citation: Zagretdinov V. (2024) Verkhovenstvo prava kak konstitutsionnaya identichnost' Evropeyskogo Soyuza [Rule of law as constitutional identity of the European Union]. Mezhdunarodnoe pravosudie, vol.14, no.3, pp.123–148. (In Russian).
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