Discussion with the Former Minister of Justice of the Republic of Poland 

On 15 July 2026, the Academy for European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne will welcome former Polish Minister of Justice Prof. Adam Bodnar. He will speak about Poland's return to the rule of law and discuss the state of the rule of law in Europe with experts from German legal academia. Prof. Bodnar has longstanding ties with the Academy for European Human Rights Protection and has been a member of the University of Cologne's Global Faculty. He is a member of the Polish Senate during the current parliamentary term.

Following opening remarks by Dr. Bernd Scheiff, President of the Cologne Higher Regional Court (OLG Köln), Prof. Bodnar will deliver the keynote lecture on the topic of Rule of Law Recovery in Poland: Between Treading on Legal Minefields and Democratic Populism. This will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Prof. Angelika Nußberger, exploring the question of Rule of Law in Europe – Endangered Heritage? The panel will include Prof. Bodnar (SWPS University Warsaw), Prof. Günter Frankenberg (Goethe University Frankfurt), Prof. Andreas Paulus (University of Göttingen) and Dr. Paula Rhein-Fischer (University of Cologne).

Further information on the programme can be found in the event flyer.

The event is jointly organised by the Cologne–Bonn Branch of the German Association for East European Studies (DGO) at the Institute of Eastern European and Comparative Law of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne, the Cologne Higher Regional Court, and the Gerhart and Renate Baum Foundation.