Petra Bárd completes her term as Professor of Sustainable Rule of Law

In these four years, she has made a substantial contribution to SteR’s research on the rule of law and cooperated with various SteR researchers in teaching, research and public engagement. Through her extensive international academic networks, research collaborations, publications and public outreach, she significantly strengthened the international visibility of both SteR and the Faculty, bringing their research and expertise to wider academic, judicial, policy and professional communities across Europe and beyond. The Faculty of Law of Radboud University and SteR are grateful for Bárd’s efforts and contributions. ‘A resilient and sustainable constitutional democracy’ will guide SteR’s research in the years to come.

In September 2023, she gave an inaugural lecture. In this lecture, entitled ‘Rule of law. Sustainability and mutual trust in a transforming Europe’, she placed the specific manifestation of rule of law deficiencies in the evolution of European criminal justice within a broader constitutional context. She argued that mutual trust and mutual recognition, the principle guiding EU criminal cooperation, should be firmly grounded in the framework of defending and sustaining the inextricably linked values of democracy, the protection of fundamental rights and the rule of law. A two-day international conference took place on the occasion of her lecture, featuring more than 40 leading experts and speakers from the Netherlands and abroad. 

As a result of this conference, an edited volume on judicial independence was published in 2025 (edited by Bárd and Jasper Krommendijk) with Edward Elgar. This volume was presented at the Dutch Supreme Court. In the first part of the event, distinguished contributors presented their chapters and engaged in discussion about the book’s central themes. The second part of the afternoon brought judges and academics together for a discussion on judicial resilience and protection of judges who speak out in defence of judicial independence and the rule of law. Bárd also gave various (public) lectures and contributed to various workshops and Radboud’s Summer School course ‘Defending the Rule of Law in Europe’. 

During her four years at Radboud University, Bárd combined her work at SteR with an extensive programme of international research, publication and public engagement. During her professorship, she participated in nine international research projects and initiatives and produced more than 35 publications, including books and edited volumes, journal articles, book chapters, policy studies, reports and working papers. She also contributed to doctoral supervision and presented her research widely at academic and professional conferences and events across Europe and beyond.

Bárd’s work reached well beyond academia. As a recognised expert on the rule of law, democratic backsliding, judicial independence and EU law, she was regularly invited to comment on European legal and political developments by leading international media, including The New York Times, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Het Financieele Dagblad, Der Standard and Deutsche Welle. Through these academic, professional and public-facing activities, she contributed substantially to the international visibility of SteR and Radboud University and brought the Centre’s expertise to academic, judicial, policy and wider public audiences.