Press Release
re:constitution – New programme on Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe announced by Forum Transregionale Studien, Democracy Reporting International and Stiftung Mercator
Berlin, 4 June 2019
Every day brings headlines about the question of democracy and the rule of law in member states of the European Union and news of the latest war of words between Brussels and other European capitals. Substantial exchange between scholars and practitioners of law, factual evidence and informed debate on the rule of law and democratic governance are essential to go beyond the media hype and approach the issues at stake, now more than ever.
Addressing the challenges of Democracy and the Rule of Law in Europe will be at the heart of the new programme. re:constitution is a joint programme by the Forum Transregionale Studien (FTS) and Democracy Reporting International (DRI), funded by Stiftung Mercator.
“We need a serious debate on the diversity of rule of law regimes in Europe and their legitimate limits, and we need, therefore personal exchange, a conversation that leads from common words to shared concepts,” says Prof. Dr. Christoph Möllers, the director of re:constitution, Professor of Public Law at Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin and Permanent Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
“We are convinced that democratic values and the rule of law are fundamental to cohesion and cooperation in Europe. Both have been under pressure in many places lately. With re:constitution we want to foster dialogue between different actors all over the EU and contribute to a better informed public debate,” says Dr. Wolfgang Rohe, Executive Director of Stiftung Mercator.
re:constitution will help improve such a European exchange and understanding. The programme will achieve this by engaging the next generation of leaders, bringing together experienced scholars and practitioners across Europe and the political spectrum into conversation. They will learn from each other and contribute to strengthening a common European constitutional ground and an informed public debate on democracy and the rule of law.
The programme will initially run until the end of 2022 with activities across the European Union and combines three components: re:constitution fellowships, re:constitution seminars and re:constitution analysis. The fellowships and seminars build a European network of younger and experienced scholars and practitioners, focusing on issues at the intersection of democracy and the rule of law. re:constitution invites voices from across the political spectrum. re:constitution analysis, led by DRI, will focus on providing in‐depth analysis and publications to inform the public debate across Europe. In addition, various media partnerships will be developed.
Find out more about the re:constitution programme on the website of FTS:
https://www.forum‐transregionale‐studien.de/programs‐and‐initiatives/reconstitution.html
and DRI:
https://democracy‐reporting.org/de/country/reconstitution/
For press enquiries and interview requests for Prof. Möllers, please contact FTS:
Dorit Modersitzki (Coordinator re:constitution)
T +49 (0)30 89 001‐453
[email protected]‐berlin.de
DRI contact:
Ruslana Vovk (Regional Manager Europe)
[email protected]‐reporting.org
Stiftung Mercator contact:
David Alders (Project Manager Centre for Science and Humanities)
[email protected]‐mercator.de
Photocredit: Matthew/Flickr
