Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and the Rule of Law

Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and the Rule of Law (RECONNECT) is a four-year multidisciplinary research project, aimed at understanding and providing solutions to the recent challenges faced by the European Union. With an explicit focus on strengthening the EU’s legitimacy through democracy and the rule of law, RECONNECT seeks to build a new narrative for Europe, enabling the EU to become more attuned to the expectations of its citizens. RECONNECT aims at understanding and explaining the EU’s legitimacy crisis, by focusing on the mismatches between the Union’s democratic and rule of law principles and the practices of institutions, as well as on how these are viewed by EU citizens. This citizen-centered approach will shape the analysis of four key policy areas: economic and fiscal governance, counter-terrorism, trade and migration. RECONNECT brings together 18 academic partner institutions from 14 countries. Among the partners is the Institute for Human Rights at Åbo Akademi University. The Åbo Akademi RECONNECT team is led by professor Elina Pirjatanniemi.