Rónán Riordan (R.R.)

Rónán’s research examines the dynamics of European integration through the interaction between law and politics, using governance studies as a conceptual bridge between these domains. His work analyses how legal norms, institutional structures, and political processes interact within the EU’s multi-level system, and how these interactions impact integration. His research combines theoretically informed doctrinal analysis with interdisciplinary and empirically grounded approaches. In particular, he employs case studies to generate broader findings about the dynamics of integration. Rónán’s current research is largely supported via the award of a StartersGrant by the Faculty of Law at Maastricht University, awarded for the period 2025-2031. 

Rónán’s current research agenda focuses on the study of European integration through two  projects. 

In the first, he examines mutual recognition as a mode of European governance, seeking to move beyond fragmented, sector-specific accounts to develop an interdisciplinary and holistic understanding of its operation across the Union. This project will culminate in a Research Handbook on Mutual Recognition, co-edited with Mariolina Eliantonio and to be published by Edward Elgar. The project brings together over 30 scholars from law, political science, and practice to analyse mutual recognition across policy fields. This project is supported in particular via his StartersGrant awarded by the Faculty of Law, and also via funding provided by the Universiteitsfonds Limburg, the Globalisation and Law Network, and the Faculty Research Fund. 

The second project examines the values of the European Union under Article 2 TEU. Through an interdisciplinary collaboration spanning law, political science, sociology, philosophy, psychology, and history, the project explores the tension between judicial articulation and democratic ownership of EU values. It seeks to address the growing gap between legal interpretations of Article 2 values and broader societal understandings, and to develop alternative perspectives that decentre the privileged role of legal scholars and institutions in shaping their meaning, thereby contributing to more inclusive and democratically grounded approaches to the Union’s constitutional foundations. This project is supported by StudioEuropa Maastricht via its Interdisciplinary Research Projects funding call. Co-investigators for this project include Valentina Golunova (LAW), Fulvia Ristuccia (LAW), Catia Pinto Teixeira (FPN), Karin van Leeuwen (FASoS), and Janosch Prinz (FASoS).