Hitting the Mark? Academic Freedom and the Enforcement of EU Values

The Lex-CEU judgment clarified that Article 13 CFR protects both the individual and institutional dimensions of academic freedom. While democratic backsliding was clearly “at the heart of this case”, the judgment did not discuss democracy and the rule of law, at all. And despite considerable attention paid to the EU’s action for safeguarding the two EU values, academic freedom has not been methodically discussed in this context, either. Five years later, it is thus time for a systematic approach to academic freedom, treating it also as a democratic value. This can have potential consequences for its integration into the EU’s rule of law toolbox, as well.