Area of Freedom, Security and Justice in Confrontation With Legal Populism: The Polish Example of Judiciary Crisis

Authors

  • Brygida Kuźniak Jagiellonian University image/svg+xml
  • Agata B. Capik Research in EU Law, Luxembourg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.22.2025.98.16

Keywords:

populism, legal populism, Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, Polish constitutional crisis, Conference on the Future of Europe

Abstract

Ensuring an Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice for EU citizens is one of the most important goals of the European Union. Achieving this goal constitutes a significant challenge, as according to the TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union), it must be carried out with respect for the diverse legal systems and traditions of the Member States. Tensions arise between what is commonly recognised and what is defined by the individual systems and traditions of each country. Against this backdrop, populist tendencies come to the fore. This study addresses the issue of legal populism, which negatively affects the functioning of the justice systems in EU Member States. The example analysed is the judicial crisis in Poland.

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Author Biographies

  • Brygida Kuźniak, Jagiellonian University

    An Associate Professor at Jagiellonian University (Chair of Public International Law, Faculty of Law and Administration, Poland). Graduated in Law at the Jagiellonian University (Poland, 1991), qualified judge (Ministry of Justice, Poland, 1996), doctorate in law ( Jagiellonian University, 1998) and habilitation ( Jagiellonian University, 2013). Over 25 years of professional experience covers first and foremost academia ( Jagiellonian University and intern at Ruhr-University in Bochum, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Eurasia International University in Yerevan) and local government (City of Krakow, intern at City of Essen and City of Toronto).

  • Agata B. Capik, Research in EU Law, Luxembourg

    A researcher and lecturer in European Law. Graduated in Law at the Jagiellonian University (Poland, 1997), holds an advanced Master in European Integration (M.A.S. (European Integration) from Danube-University Krems (Austria 1999), Master in International and European Business Law (Executive M.B.L.- HSG) from St. Gallen University (Switzerland, 2006) and the doctorate in Law from Ruprecht‑Karls- University Heidelberg (Germany, 2007). Her professional experience covers predominantly academia (Europa-Institute Saarbrücken, University of Luxembourg, SFA – Ministry of Education, Université Populaire Luxembourg), public administration and private sector. Her research focuses mainly on European Public Law, constitutional law, fundamental rights and judicial protection at the EU level, as well as the history of European Integration.

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“Area of Freedom, Security and Justice in Confrontation With Legal Populism: The Polish Example of Judiciary Crisis”. 2025. Politeja 22 (4(98): 293-316. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.22.2025.98.16.