The volumes from the Prisma Ukraïna Dossiers series bring together perspectives on the dimensions of Russia’s war against Ukraine exploring displacement, migration, memory and images and objects shaping the experience of war. On 23 November, we will bring the three volumes together for a joint book discussion, in which the editors reflect on how their research connects to one another and to today’s realities of war, displacement, and memory in Ukraine.

Please register via prisma(at)trafo-berlin.de.

Against the backdrop of the Venice Commission’s revised 2025 Rule of Law Checklist which, for the first time, explicitly recognises academic institutions and legal education as key components of the rule of law framework, this workshop explores critical questions at the intersection of legal education, democracy, and constitutionalism:

• How does legal education shape future lawyers’ capacity for critical reasoning? How does legal education shape future lawyers’ capacity for critical reasoning?
• Can structures or practices in legal education inadvertently contribute to democratic backsliding?
• How should academic freedom be understood in this context? How should academic freedom be understood in this context? 

The latest issue gives the reader an opportunity to revisit the newest developments and activities that shaped the re:constitution programme during the 2025-2026 Fellow year.

Once again, Prof. Dr. Angelika Nußberger, Chair of the Advisory Board, opens the issue with a note on the prospects for rule of law in the wake of Hungary's recent elections. At the same time, she highlights the challenges of restoring rule of law once it has already been eroded, as the case of Poland illustrates. Democracy Reporting International (DRI) once again joined the Fellowship this year and contributed its expertise to critical discussions on democracy and rule of law in Europe with the Fellow cohort 2025-2026.

At the center of this issue are the reflections of our Fellows, inviting readers to explore their research journeys and rich experiences gained during their stays at host institutions across Europe.

Through a blend of interactive training, expert-led discussions, and informal networking, the meeting will provide Fellows with the opportunity to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and engage with pressing questions that define their work.

The panel discussion is open to the public.

30 October 2026, 10:00 - 11:30

Publix, Hermannstr. 90, 12051 Berlin

This workshop aims to take stock of latest developments in the protection of EU values and to contribute to an updated assessment of the state of the art. It will address two central questions: Where do we stand in terms of the protection of EU values in Member States in 2026? Are we at a turning point, and if so, where is this shift leading us? 

In cooperation with fellow researchers our Alumni Francesco and Matteo strive to understand how the central events of 2026 are influencing, and possibly re-shaping, the landscape of European constitutional backsliding, and the EU’s reaction to it.

2026 has been a crucial year for the European constitutional backsliding crisis. In April, Hungary held landmark elections that brought an end to Viktor Orbán's time in office, following years of deteriorating rule of law standards, democratic institutions and fundamental human rights guarantees. 

We are excited to announce the next European Rule of Law Conference, organised by re:constitution – Exchange and Analysis on Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe, on 11–12 May 2027 in Brussels. The conference will bring together politicians, regulators, judges, lawyers, businesses, cultural practitioners, journalists, academics and civil society to engage with the most pressing rule-of-law challenges, developments and solutions across Europe.

We warmly invite proposals for parallel sessions within five thematic clusters. The clusters are starting points for conversations that cut across disciplines, professions and regions – not rigid silos. Please find out more about the respective thematic clusters here.

Please submit your proposal here

This year’s cohort brings together 15 outstanding scholars and practitioners from eight EU Member States and one EU candidate country, representing a balanced mix of academic and practical expertise. Their diverse backgrounds and perspectives will enrich the dialogue on the rule of law and democracy in Europe, fostering a multiperspective exchange on the pressing challenges facing our democracies.

Detailed information on the Fellows and their research projects

The seminar seeks to analyze the dynamics between law and power in the contemporary age, characterised by what has been described as the “age of acceleration”, an age where time seems to move more quickly, and modern life moves faster. 

This acceleration is producing considerable effects in the distribution of power and in the authority of law itself: it is compressing the room of manoeuvre of deliberative and representative institutions, leading to the marginalisation of parliaments and the favour for swift executive action. Similar dynamics can be observed in the international legal order, where first-movers are advantaged, while other actors are compelled to adapt within an increasingly fluid, ever-changing decisional environment, marked by the gradual erosion of traditional international law principles.

Program poster (PDF)

Individual seminar sessions

As part of the Summer University breakout seminars were conducted, which were led by the following faculty members:

• András Jakab, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights & Professor at the University of Salzburg
• Alain Zyset, Professor at the University of Glasgow
• Martin Loughlin, Professor at the LSE Law of School
• Jiří Přibáň, Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic & Professor at the Cardiff University

Call for Contributions PDF

The event brings together legal scholars, policymakers, technologists, and civil society actors to critically examine how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping democratic governance across Europe. While the EU has taken a global lead with the AI Act, significant gaps remain in understanding how AI interacts with core democratic principles like the rule of law, separation of powers, political pluralism, and citizen participation. This workshop takes democracy and constitutionalism as its primary analytical lens, moving beyond purely technical or regulatory debates.

Watch the recording of the event here. 
(in Spanish)

The event will provide a space to engage critically with the European Commission’s 2025 EU Rule of Law Report and to examine how developments at the national and European levels increasingly shape and influence one another. Using Greece as a case study, the discussion will explore the interdependence between domestic rule of law dynamics and wider EU and pan-European trends.