The Impact of European Institutions on the Rule of Law and Democracy: Slovenia and Beyond

(Hardback)

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Since 2010 the European Union has been plagued by crises of democracy and the rule of law, which have been spreading from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), catching many by surprise. This book argues that the professed success of the 2004 big bang enlargement mirrored the Potemkin villages erected in the new Member States on their accession to Europe. Slovenia is a prime example. Since its independence and throughout the accession process, Slovenia has been portrayed as the poster child of the New Europe. This book claims that the widely shared narrative of the Slovenian EU dream is a myth. In many ways, Slovenia has fared even worse than its contemporary, constitutionally-backsliding, CEE counterparts. The books discussion of the depth and breadth of the democratic crises in Slovenia should contribute to a critical intellectual awakening and better comprehension of the real causes of the present crises across the other CEE Member States, which threaten the viability of the EU and Council of Europe projects. It is only on the basis of this improved understanding that the crises can be appropriately addressed at national, transnational and supranational levels.

Reviews

Avbelj and Letnar Cernic's book is the first monographic treatment of the rule of law and the state of democracy in Slovenia in legal scholarship. As such, it makes a welcome contribution to the academic literature the authors should be commended for accurately diagnosing and giving a name to a phenomenon that has long plagued the Slovenian legal system, that is, an extreme 'institutional attachment to a statutory-based legal positivism' [and] their doctrinal analysis of the concept of a resilient democracy in the EU is outstanding. -- Jaka Kukavica * European Journal of Legal Studies *

Author Bio

Matej Avbelj is Professor of European Law and Jernej Letnar Cernic is Associate Professor of Human Rights Law, both at the Faculty of Government and European Studies, New University, Slovenia.