EU Protect

My research programme for the coming years investigates how the EU could better protect individuals in response to fears of social dumping, migratory pressures and attacks on their identity. As the debate both pre- and post-Brexit shows as well as the rise of extreme right wing parties across Europe, people fear for their work and their quality of life. Such topics have absorbed media attention in the debate on the EU since the latest enlargement, the so-called ‘economic crisis’ and the ‘migration crisis’.The twenty-seven leaders of Member States and of the European Council, the Parliament and the Commission signing The Rome Declaration on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the European Union project acknowledged the existence of these ‘unprecedented challenges’ (Rome Declaration, 25.3.2017). They pledged to continue to work towards a Union which promotes economic and social progress. Such political will should revitalize the commitment enshrined in the EU Treaties towards ‘a social market economy’ (Treaty on European Union, Article 3).How can EU law be adjusted as well as better used to indeed meet this urgent call for more protection across Europe? This question requires an in-depth investigation into core protective and unifying legal concepts that are the notions of EU citizenship and fundamental rights as well as into the mechanisms to enhance the effective application of such a system of protection. My research project contributes to this reflection by seeking to answer four complementary questions: (i) how can EU citizenship be best conceptualized in a post-Brexit context?, (ii) what are the core values that bring EU citizens and Member States together?, (iii) how can we ensure the effective judicial protection of EU rights?, (iv) how can we improve the governance of fundamental rights in the EU?

Keywords:EU-protection

Disciplines:Law