Project description
In-depth analysis of judicial independence in the EU
Judicial independence in the EU faces structural and cultural pressures that endanger its identity as a community of law. In several Member States, politicised appointments, selective disciplinary measures and unequal access to justice undermine court legitimacy and public trust. The EU-funded Law in crisis project examines judicial independence not only as a constitutional principle but also as an institution rooted in Europe’s diverse legal traditions. Combining comparative legal analysis with empirical indicators, it develops an interdisciplinary framework assessing how independence, impartiality and integrity work in practice. By integrating legal, cultural and societal dimensions, the project identifies blind spots in existing monitoring tools. Its main output – the Judicial Cultures Toolkit – supports institutional self-assessment and strengthens EU rule of law policy and judicial reform.
Objective
Judicial independence in the European Union is increasingly exposed to structural and cultural pressures that endanger the Union’s identity as a community of law. This project conceives judicial independence not only as a constitutional safeguard, but as a culturally embedded institution situated within Europe’s plural legal traditions. Across several Member States, politicised appointments, selective disciplinary proceedings, and unequal access to justice erode the legitimacy of courts and weaken public trust. Existing EU monitoring mechanisms capture procedural deficiencies but fail to address cultural dimensions of this erosion. Therefore, the Rule of Law Crisis Framework integrates legal, cultural, and empirical indicators into a comparative tool that examines independence, impartiality, and integrity not only formally, but as they are performed and perceived in practice. Methodologically, the project combines data from the EU Justice Scoreboard with insights from the Law as Culture paradigm, which understands law as a symbolic, ritual, and narrative practice intertwined with social values, aesthetic forms, and religious traditions. This interdisciplinary approach allows to capture how systemic vulnerabilities are shaped by cultural, gendered, racial, and class-based dimensions. It addresses implementation deficits, the erosion of legitimacy and belief, and the disconnection between expert-driven Juristenrecht and lived Volksrecht. Outputs include a Judicial Cultures Toolkit for institutional self-assessment and resilience, to sustain monitoring and policy innovation beyond the project. Ultimately, the project argues that the crisis of the rule of law cannot be remedied through political or economic strategies alone; it requires mobilising cultural and communal resources to restore trust, legal certainty, and the independence of justice.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.2 - Culture, creativity and inclusive society
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.2.1 - Democracy and Governance
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL2-2025-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
53113 Bonn
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.