ABOUT BOOK

Legal remedies alone are not sufficient to address critical developments within a state. The principle of the rule of law, essentially a legal concept, also necessitates integration into the political context. This chapter draws on an original empirical investigation from the three-year research project “Rule of Law in East Central Europe”, looking at challenges to the rule of law discussed in the parliaments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia since the early 1990s. We also examine the degree of overlap in the narratives of various actors concerning the challenges. Lastly, we suggest how EU actors can improve their communication on rule of law issues by better aligning it with national discourses. Considering national contexts would contribute to strengthening the rule of law and ultimately make the EU’s rule of law policy more effective.