{"id":3291,"date":"2025-06-04T11:53:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T09:53:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/rule-of-law-crisis-eu\/?p=3291"},"modified":"2025-06-04T18:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T16:20:13","slug":"antonio-bar-eu-values-national-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/rule-of-law-crisis-eu\/en\/antonio-bar-eu-values-national-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"National Constitutional Identity and EU Values: Professor Antonio Bar\u2019s Contribution to the 5th Gil Carlos Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias Seminar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Monday, 26 May 2025, the 5th Gil Carlos Rodr\u00edguez Iglesias Seminar of the Revista de Derecho Comunitario Europeo (RDCE)<\/strong> was held at the Centro de Estudios Pol\u00edticos y Constitucionales in Madrid. This edition was dedicated to the theme “Values and Principles in European Union Law”<\/strong> and brought together leading scholars and jurists to reflect on the protection and development of the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screenshot of the online broadcast from Centro de Estudios Pol\u00edticos y Constitucionales in Madrid<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the key moments of the day was the intervention of Professor Antonio Bar Cend\u00f3n<\/strong>, Chair of Constitutional Law at the Universitat de Val\u00e8ncia and member of the research project Rule of Law Crisis in the EU<\/em>. His presentation, entitled “Member States and the Values and Principles of the European Union: Protecting National Constitutional Identity”<\/strong>, was part of the third session, devoted to \u201cNew Perspectives on Principles and Values in EU Law\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constitutional identity and euroscepticism: an existential question<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Professor Bar began by discussing the constitutionalisation process of the European Union, noting that the recognition of \u201cnational identity\u201d in Article 4.2 TEU was, in part, a concession to British Euroscepticism. Today, he argued, the issue of national identity has become an existential dilemma<\/strong> for Member States \u2014 a binary yes\/no regarding EU membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Copyright Prof. Antonio Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What do we mean by \u201cEU Values\u201d?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bar analysed the nature and scope of the values of Article 2 TEU from two perspectives: a <\/span>natural law (iusnaturalist)<\/strong> view and a <\/span>positivist<\/strong> approach. He stressed that the EU\u2019s articulation of its values is essentially political, and that their protection is also framed through political procedures, primarily Article 7 TEU.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A formalist vision that requires rethinking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In his closing reflections, Professor Bar offered a critique of what he views as the excessively formalist approach<\/strong> adopted by the CJEU. The Court, he argued, centres its conception of the rule of law on access to an independent judge, often neglecting other substantive dimensions of Article 2 TEU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that the EU\u2019s core values still lack a clearly defined material content, and that protecting the constitutional identity of Member States cannot rely solely on judicial procedures<\/strong>. In his view, Article 7 TEU is insufficient to safeguard such identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A vital debate for the future of integration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Professor Antonio Bar\u2019s intervention highlighted the current tensions between European integration and the protection of national constitutional identities<\/strong>, at a time when the EU\u2019s foundational values are under internal pressure. His analysis invites us to rethink how EU law can continue to guarantee a common space grounded in freedom, justice and democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Copyright Prof. Antonio Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n