Alessandro Marcia (He/Him) is a Ph.D. Researcher and Lecturer of EU law at Maastricht University. His research focuses on LGBTIQA+ rights’ protection under EU law. Alessandro holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Bologna and an LL.M. in EU law from Université libre de Bruxelles. Before joining UM, he served as a Lecturer of EU law at the China – EU School of Law, based at the University of Hamburg. Alessandro is also an activist for European integration and LGBTIQA+ rights. He is a member of the Global LGBTQI+ Changemakers Network established by the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard University. He also runs the newsletter Europe and LGBTIQA+ Rights.
This policy study analyses how the European Parliament (EP) has engaged with the European Commission’s Rule of Law Reports (RoLRs) during the ninth legislative term (2019-2024). It also examines what this engagement reveals about the EP’s understanding of the rule of law and its capacity to strengthen EU-level democratic safeguards.
Drawing on a qualitative analysis of parliamentary resolutions, debates and voting patterns, the policy study examines whether the EP approaches the rule of law primarily as a procedural-legal standard or as a broader normative principle encompassing fundamental rights, equality and democratic inclusion.
Academic Mentor: Felix Butzlaff, political scientist and postdoctoral fellow at the Central European University Vienna
Political Mentor: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, S&D Coordinator LIBE Committee
Joint PhD at the University of Edinburgh and KU Leuven