As a member of the Human Rights and Democracy Network, and its Working Group on EU Internal Human Rights Policy, SAR Europe welcomes the publication of this submission to the European Commission on the framework of the 2nd Annual Rule of Law Review Cycle. To learn about what the European Commission should do to improve this annual reporting cycle read the HRDN report here.
Academic freedom and institutional autonomy are directly linked to the rule of law. Higher education institutions foster the free exchange of ideas, challenge the status quo and train future scholars, journalists, judges, civil and human rights advocates. Therefore, like a free media, an independent judiciary, and an active civil society, academic freedom and institutional autonomy act as an essential counterbalance to unfettered government rule. That is why SAR Europe advocates academic freedom to be an explicit component of the rule of law reporting cycle.
To learn more read our submission here.