21: Protecting the rule of law in the European Union, with President Koen Lenaerts

Koen Lenaerts has been the president of the Court of Justice of the European Union since 2015 and, since then, has led one of the most critical transition periods in the History of the organisation. From the tension between EU values during Brexit, to the Rule of Law crisis in Poland and Hungary, the role of the CJEU has been expanding in an increasingly legalised EU, where the Commission has been more prone to relying on legal mechanisms to ensure uniformity.The most recent case, Commission v Hungary, where a direct engagement by the court with Article 2 of the UN Charter, is currently awaiting deliberation. President Lenaerts makes his position very clear throughout this episode.President Leanerts’ studies in Harvard have encouraged him to implement some of the features of the American federalist model in the EU and the CJEU. President Lenaerts additionally discusses reform of the preliminary reference procedure. This episode will be of great interest to anyone interested in contemporary international law and the EU.Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn at @lsesonthecaseEmail us with any enquiries or feedback at [email protected].