Dissensus over Liberal Democracy in Europe: Implications for the EU’s Internal Stability and External Influence

Over the past decade, the EU has reaffirmed its commitment to support democracy within its borders and has intensified efforts to promote democratic values beyond its frontiers. To safeguard its common values in its Member States, a series of instruments have been put in place in response to the rule of law crisis in Hungary and in Poland. In addition to Article 7 TEU, hard and soft instruments have been established allowing the suspension of EU funds when breaches to the rule of law are observed or the Charter of Fundamental Rights is not respected. To maintain the EU's political identity, new forms of conditionality have emerged. Outside its borders, the EU’s commitment is becoming increasingly challenging given the global context of rising authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. Against this backdrop, the panel addresses the following questions: How does dissensus over liberal democracy reshape the EU’s internal policies and their main policy instruments? What are the implications of dissensus over liberal democracy for the EU’s capacity to act beyond its borders through its external policies and instruments? How do external actors (including states and non-state actors) influence dissensus over liberal democracy in the EU and in its neighbourhood? Against this backdrop, this panel examines
- The internal challenges faced by EU member states in maintaining liberal democratic values amidst growing dissensus over liberal democracy;
- The impact of dissensus on the EU’s internal policies;
- The impact of internal dissensus on the EU’s ability to project and uphold liberal democratic values externally.
This discussion seeks to identify pathways for strengthening the EU’s resilience against autocratic trends, both internally and in its influence abroad.