UCL Political Science Events

The Breaking Point: Navigating The Global Rule Of Law Recession

Episode Summary

Recorded in February 2026, this Policy and Practice Seminar examines the global “rule of law recession” and growing concerns about institutional erosion, including weakened judicial independence and shrinking civic space. Drawing on recent data from the World Justice Project, the discussion considers how democratic systems are being challenged and what strategies might help resist or reverse these trends. Bringing together senior judges, policymakers, and legal scholars, the event explores how legal and constitutional institutions can adapt in an era of rising authoritarian pressures and what safeguards are needed to protect democratic integrity. Speakers include Marko Bošnjak, Adam Bodnar, Victoria Kristan, with chair Veronika Fikfak.

Episode Notes

According to the 2025 World Justice Project Index, the global rule of law recession has not only continued, it has accelerated. From the systematic weakening of judicial independence to the shrinking of civic space, the institutions designed to check power are under siege.

This event brings together practitioners who have been at the heart of the rule of law debate during the past decade. The former President of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as a former Minister of Justice for Poland, join legal academics to address the “playbook” of institutional erosion. 

We will explore what, if anything, can be done in the present “rule of law” crisis, how legal institutions can adapt and resist in the current era of authoritarianism, and what critical firewalls are needed to protect democratic integrity in 2026. 

Meet the speakers

• Dr Marko Bošnjak is a Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union and an honorary Professor of Practice at UCL. He is the former President of the European Court of Human Rights, where he served as the judge in respect of Slovenia. Before his election as President of the Court in 2024, he held the positions of Section President and Vice-President. Prior to joining the judiciary, he worked as an Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology, as an attorney specialised in criminal law, as an Expert Member of the Council for Criminal Law at the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, and as an Independent and later Superior Advisor at the Constitutional Court of Slovenia. 
• Dr Adam Bodnar is a Professor of Constitutional Law at SWPS University and a Member of Polish Senate. From 2023-2025, he served as the Polish Minister of Justice. Professor Bodnar is a recipient of the 2018 Rafto Prize for his contribution to the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Poland and the 2019 Rule of Law Award granted by the World Justice Project. In 2020, he was awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight Class. 
• Dr Victoria Kristan is an Assistant Professor of Legal Philosophy at the University of Bologna and a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow within the EUTOPIA Alliance. Dr Kristan is a legal philosopher whose recent work focuses on violations and abuses of the rule of law. Her work has been published in leading international journals (e.g. International Journal for Constitutional Law, Global Contitutionalism, European Law Journal, Revus - Journal for Constitutional Theory and Philosophy of Law, Law and Philosophy) and edited volumes. She is the recipient of the ICON-S Prize 2025 for the best paper in Spanish, whilst her work “The Day After a Broken Democratic Polity” has been highly praised. 
• Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak is a Professor of Human Rights and International Law at University College London. Veronika’s research interests are in the fields of international law, human rights, and public law. Her current research focuses on reparations and compensation in international law, execution and enforcement of international judgments, automation and human rights, access to human rights justice, children’s claims in climate litigation, and system design. 

Recorded 5 Feb 2026. 

Co-organised with the UCL Constitution Unit.