INTRODUCTION 1. Rule of Law in the EU 30 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Stockholm University, Sweden, Andreas Moberg, University of Gothenburg, Sweden and Joakim Nergelius, Örebro University, Sweden PART ONE THE RULE OF LAW IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND POLITICAL REALITY 2. Rule of Law Problems as Problems of Democracy Leonard Besselink, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands 3. Illiberal Constitutionalism in East-Central Europe Gábor Halmai, European University Institute, Italy 4. Why the Rule of Law Can Never be Part of an 'Illiberal' Democracy Joakim Nergelius, Örebro University, Sweden PART TWO THE RULE OF LAW IN CEE: COMMUNIST LEGACIES AND THE ROAD TO EU ACCESSION 5. Legacies of Socialist Constitutionalism: The Eastern European Judiciary Zden e k Kühn, Charles University, Czechia 6. Legal Reasoning in Central and Eastern Europe from a Historical Perspective Katalin Kelemen, Örebro University, Sweden 7. The Council of Europe as an Antechamber to the European Union Daniel Tarschys, Stockholm University, Sweden 8.

The Role of the Venice Commission in Strengthening the Rule of Law Iain Cameron, Uppsala University, Sweden 9. The Eastward Enlargement as a Driving Force and Testbed for Rule of Law Policy in the EU Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Stockholm University, Sweden PART THREE THE RULE OF LAW IN AN ENLARGED EUROPE 10. The Rule of Law in Italy under the Power of Populism, and its Impact on the Future of the EU: What the Pandemic Crisis Can Teach Us: Some Reflections on Populism, Europe, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights During the Time of Quarantine in Italy Valentina Colcelli, University of Perugia, Italy 11. The European Rule of Law Standard, the Nordic States, and EU Law Graham Butler, Aarhus University, Denmark PART FOUR ENFORCING THE RULE OF LAW IN THE EU: CURRENT MECHANISMS AND PROSPECTS 12. The Rise of Procedural Rule of Law in the European Union - Historical and Normative Foundations Xavier Groussot, Lund University, Sweden and Anna Zemskova, Lund University, Sweden 13. The European Commission and the EU Rule of Law Policy Anna Perego, European Commission (DG Justice) 14. Respect for the Rule of Law: Some Thoughts on the European Parliament's Perspective Linda Stefani, European Parliament and María José Martínez Iglesias, European Parliament 15. Can We Expect Compliance with the Rule of Law without the Rule of Law? Andreas Moberg, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.