SHIFTING FOUNDATIONS: THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RULE OF LAW CRISES FOR ONTOLOGICAL SECURITY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Date

2024-9

Author

Özdemir, Şüheda

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Ontological security refers to an actor's sense of security and continuity in their routines, habits, and biographical narratives, as well as cohesion in their understanding of themselves, their social environment, and their place in the world. This study examines how the concept of ontological security may be utilized to evaluate the growing rule of law crises in the European Union. The rule of law principle in the European Union is a fundamental principle ensuring that all the EU institutions and member states are governed by the law and that all individuals and groups are protected from arbitrary actions. This study argues that distortions in rule of law and the EU's inability to uphold it can lead to a sense of ontological insecurity in the EU as the crisis undermines the core values upon which the Union is built. Through a qualitative analysis of EU public documents, case studies, and secondary literature, this thesis analyzes how the rule of law principle, the actions of the EU institutions to enforce it, and societal perceptions towards distortions have impacted the ontological security of the Union and its implications for the future of the EU. The research suggests that the violation in the EU's core value of the rule of law can be best explained by the disruption of the continuity of the biographical narrative, the radically shifting and polarized dichotomy of Self and Other, and the anxiety of the unknowability of the future that has damaged the EU's "protective cocoon", all of which are subfields of ontological security theory. The research concludes that the rule of law crises need to be managed carefully in order to avoid further fragmentation and to ensure the continued stability and integrity of the EU.

Subject Keywords

Ontological Security, Rule of Law Crisis, European Union, The Future of Europe

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/111252

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis