Centre for the Study of Constitutionalism of the Faculty of Political Science 

Faculty of Law (University of Belgrade) 

Serbian Association for Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR Serbia)

International conference

Rule of Law beyond the Nation-State: 

International, Supranational, Transnational Contexts

(14-15 May 2021)

Most of the concepts of the vocabulary of legal and political theory were initially devised for the purpose of analytically depicting or critically assessing phenomena at the level of the modern-day nation-state. Some such concepts, like sovereignty, have subsequently found their way into the conceptual apparatus of both theory and practice of international law. The concept of Rule of Law (RoL) displays a similar historical trajectory. While it emerged primarily as a domestic political and legal concept, in recent years it has been more openly used in various contexts beyond the nation-state. Hence, one of the objectives of the United Nations Millennium Declaration is “to strengthen respect for the rule of law in international as in national affairs”. At the UN web page dedicated to the promotion of RoL, it is stated that this principle “is fundamental to international peace and security and political stability; to achieve economic and social progress and development; and to protect people’s rights and fundamental freedoms.” Similarly, in the most developed supranational context, that of European Union, RoL is enshrined in Union’s primary legislation as one of its founding values (Art. 2 of the TEU). In addition, in the Preamble to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, RoL is specifically mentioned as one of the values upon which the Union is founded. Finally, various emerging global/transnational regulatory mechanisms, whose legitimacy has been often challenged on grounds of not satisfying some of the RoL requirements, are now seen to adjust along the lines of the raised criticisms.

The goal of the conference is to provide further elucidation and evaluation of the aforementioned process of appropriation of the RoL principle in various contexts beyond the nation-state. It aspires to do so by employing contributions from different scholarly disciplines, ranging from legal and political philosophy via European studies, international law and international relations to transnational/global governance.

Conference key-note speakers:

• Gianluigi Palombella, Professor of Applied Legal Theory at the Scuola Sant’Anna, University of Pisa
• Michael Zürn, Director of the research unit “Global Governance” at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) and Professor of International Relations at the Free University Berlin
• Andreas Føllesdal, Professor, PluriCourts: Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, University of Oslo

All those interested in participating at the conference shall by April 10^th submit an abstract (up to 500 words long) to the address zdr.anna@gmail.com. Selected participants will be informed by April 25^th.

Organizing Committee

• Miodrag Jovanović, Professor of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade
• Đorđe Pavićević, Professor of Political Theory, Centre for the Study   of Constitutionalism, Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade
• Bojan Spaić, Assistant Professor of Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade

Secretary: Ana Zdravković, PhD student, Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade