Cluster 5 | Rule of Law Beyond Borders

Scope. This cluster examines how the rule of law is shaped across borders. Rather than treating Europe in isolation, it looks at how legal standards, governance models and political strategies travel between regions and adapt to local conditions. We invite sessions on democratic learning and diffusion, competing legal approaches, the spread of authoritarian practices from one country to another, and the role of international organisations, civil society and non-state actors in shaping rule-of-law debates. We are also interested in how geopolitical pressures – armed conflict, migration, climate change and economic tensions – and the constitutional responses they trigger affect the resilience and legitimacy of the rule of law in Europe and other regions of the world.

Rationale. Rule-of-law change no longer happens within national borders. Ideas, money, political strategies, information and pressure travel across them, and change along the way. Bringing together perspectives from different regions highlights both shared challenges and context-specific developments. Security, external interference and geopolitical competition are part of this picture, but should not be the sole focus. We particularly welcome sessions with tangible outcomes – for example, a comparison of what has worked against a specific authoritarian tactic in different regions, or concrete proposals for cross-border cooperation between courts, institutions or civil society.