PANEL: THE RULE OF LAW, A PILLAR OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA, AT THE 2026 FAES CAMPUS

Javier Zarzalejos, Director of the FAES Foundation and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE); Nuria González, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Barcelona; and Cristian Pizarro Allard, former editor of Chilean newspaper El Mercurio and Deputy Editor of El Debate, took part in the round-table discussion The Rule of Law, a Pillar of Liberal Democracy in Europe and Latin America, moderated by journalist and Doctor of Constitutional Law Javier Redondo.

Zarzalejos focused on the situation in Spain and its European dimension. “For a long time, Spain has flown under the European radar. We must not forget that, when we talk about constitutional matters, the room for manoeuvre is limited,” he said.

The session, held as part of the 2026 FAES Campus programme, examined the rule of law as an essential component of liberal democracy from a comparative perspective between the European Union and Latin America. Participants addressed the main challenges affecting institutional and democratic quality in both regions, as well as the responses required to confront threats that are increasingly global and coordinated in nature.

In this context, Nuria González warned of the deterioration of some of the institutional and political foundations on which democracy rests. “The Constitutional Court has become a counter-minoritarian institution rather than a counter-majoritarian body,” she said. In her view, “we urgently need a programme to restore the rule of law”, given the erosion of conditions that are essential to the functioning of democracy: “Mutual tolerance and self-restraint have been seriously eroded.”

Cristian Pizarro Allard, for his part, focused on the role of the media and citizens in holding political power to account. “The rule of law is clearly linked to the obligation of those in power to be accountable and subject to scrutiny,” he said. In this regard, he stressed the fundamental role played by the media and noted that “there are two fundamental freedoms of citizens — freedom of the press and freedom of expression — which are essential to protect”. Pizarro therefore highlighted the importance of showing “how the media and citizens, through them, can help limit the expansion and exercise of political power”.

The discussion also addressed opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Europe and Latin America, identify shared experiences and promote the exchange of best practices aimed at safeguarding the independence of institutions, respect for the law and the guarantees inherent in liberal democracies.