Includes bibliographical references and index.

The European Union and the rule of law--state of affairs and ways of strengthening / Werner Schroeder -- Principle of legality and the hierarchy of norms / Franz Merli -- Access to justice and judicial independence : is there a role for the EU? / Attila Badó and János Bóka -- Transparency as part of a European rule of law / Inger Sterdahl -- Legal certainty / Anna Gamper -- The principle of proportionality / Peter M Huber -- The council of Europe and the rule of law / Jorg Polakiewicz and Jenny Sandwig -- The rule of law in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights / Elisabeth Steiner -- The rule of law in the recent jurisprudence of the ECJ / Thomas von Danwitz -- Reinforcement of the rule of law oversight in the European Union : key options / Carlos Closa and Dimitry Kochenov -- The EU rule of law framework / Emanuel Crabit and Nicolaas Bel -- Global activities and current initiatives in the Union to strengthen the rule of law--a state of play / Andreas J Kumin -- Managing the rule of law in a heterogeneous context : a fundamental rights perspective on ways forward / Gabriel N Toggenburg and Jonas Grimheden -- The EU and rule of law--the unavoidable question of : who controls it? / Gregor Schusterschitz -- The rule of law in European policy : a parliamentarian's view / Eva Lichtenberger -- The rule of law and constitutionalisation of the European Union / Monica Claes and Mateo Bonelli.