Understanding Democratic Backsliding in Europe I

Abstract

Democratic backsliding has emerged as a core challenge to European politics in both theoretical and practical terms in that it challenges the EU’s foundational values and the basis for cooperation at the European level. The reversal of initially successful democratic reforms among several Central and East European member states poses an important empirical puzzle for the literature on EU enlargement and raises key normative questions on the EU’s authority and legitimacy in responding to democratic backsliding. As an issue of direct practical and policy interest, democratic backsliding in the EU is an area of study where the empirical assessment of the trends and causes of backsliding tie in closely with the doctrinal analysis of the scope of possible actions to combat backsliding, the theoretical study of the nature of backsliding, and the normative evaluation of policies responding to such developments. As such, it is particularly enriching to debate EU backsliding with scholars using different methodologies and theoretical approaches. These panels facilitate this dialogue.

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