The European Union’s internal actions for democracy and rule of law – “better sorry than safe”?

Recent events and political declarations in the European Union have led European institutions as well as academic literature to focus on how the European Union should protect its values internally. The present contribution analyzses the various tools at the disposal of the European institutions to protect democracy and rule of law and presents their limitations. It then pays attention to a more pro-active and less commented side of European Union’s actions towards its values, a path which adheres to a softer logic. These new tools contribute, through the dialogue they launch on democracy and the rule of law, to strengthening mutual trust and providing objective information on the state of the rule of law internally