On Wednesday, 26th March 2025, at 12:15 PM, Giuseppe Martinico from the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, who is also a member of the teaching staff of ProStEUVa, will join us for a lecture on Populisms and Constitutional Counter-Narratives in the European Legal Framework.
Prof. Martinico will explore how populist movements in power reshape constitutional law to reinforce their own narratives. The discussion will focus on the weaponization of constitutional law, the role of constituent power in pluralist societies, and the complex relationship between constitutionalism and political theology. Students will be introduced to concepts such as mimetism and parasitism, the instrumentalization of identity politics and the politics of immediacy, which emphasises the use of instruments like referendums. Examples will be drawn from cases such as Hungary under Viktor Orbán, where populist agendas have led to significant alterations in the judicial system and the rule of law, and Poland under the Law and Justice Party, where constitutional changes have undermined judicial independence and the separation of powers. By examining these dynamics, the lecture will thus provide insights into how populist forces construct alternative constitutional discourses, often manipulating constitutional language and provisions to serve their political agendas.
This lecture is part of the Comparative Law of Institutional Communication course and will be held in room I at Palazzo La Sapienza. Following this introduction to populisms and constitutional counter-narratives, the discussion will then continue on April 7 with a lecture on The Added Value of European Constitutionalism in the Face of the Populist Challenge. In particular, Martinico will further explore how European constitutional principles respond to the pressures of populist movements, illustrating the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union with particular reference to Article 2 TEU, which identifies the common values of the Member States in the respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
