EmergEU hosts Jean Monnet Jecture by Ramona Coman on how the rule of law crisis has transformed the EU polity

On 7 May 2026, Ramona Coman, Professor of Political Science at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Emeritus President of the Institute of European Studies, delivered a Jean Monnet Lecture at the Faculty of Law of Maastricht University, organised by the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Crises and Emergencies in EU Integration (EmergEU). The lecture was titled "What has the rule of law crisis transformed inside the EU polity?"

Rather than focusing on how the EU has responded to democratic backsliding in its member states, the lecture asked what the rule of law crisis has revealed about the EU itself. Coman argued that the crisis challenged core assumptions of post-Maastricht integration, namely that democracy among member states was irreversible, that mutual trust could be taken for granted, and that integration could remain insulated from regime politics. In responding to these challenges, the EU has become more political, more judicialised, and more willing to link financial solidarity to constitutional commitments, even as the limits of enforcement remain visible. Looking back from 2026, the lecture offered a broader reflection on how the rule of law crisis has transformed the EU polity.