Introduction. European Union investments and the Rule of Law
Abstract
This special issue examines the expansion of the European Union’s (EU) tools in the area of the Rule of Law as a turning point in the way this political system articulates values, budgets, and influence, reshaping incentives and balances between different levels of government. It shows how financial conditionality shifts the focus from predominantly normative debates towards an interplay of sanctions and incentives and towards the capacities and day‑to‑day functioning of public bureaucracies. The issue’s analytical lens helps identify key tensions in European integration and opens a research agenda focused on assessing whether the new rule-of-law safeguarding instruments contribute to consolidating institutional capacities or, by contrast, generate mainly circumstantial accommodations. It pays attention to debates on the use of Union investments as an instrument of public policy and to their implications for strengthening the internal market and the competitiveness of the EU economy. It proceeds from the premise that the protection of the Rule of Law increasingly functions as a condition of possibility for a growth model grounded in legal certainty, the integrity of public administrations, a level playing field, and regulatory predictability. The special issue includes research focused on both candidate countries and Latin American and Caribbean states, thereby extending beyond the current borders of the EU the analysis of the political effects of the relationship between EU investments and the democratic values set out in Article 2 TEU.
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Last update: 26/10/2026
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