The European Yearbook of Constitutional Law is pleased to announce a call for submissions for its ninth volume (2027) on the theme of Reimagining Constitutional Identity in Europe.
The notion of “constitutional identity” – typically understood as encompassing the fundamental elements or values of a legal order – has become a central yet contested fixture of European constitutional studies. The concept has become a commonly used instrument, especially in the context of EU integration, for understanding and shaping the various legal orders in Europe as well as their interactions. This is evident both in scholarship and in the case law of several national highest and constitutional courts, as well as in rulings handed down by the Court of Justice of the European Union and more recently the European Court of Human Rights.
This volume intends to advance the study of constitutional identity in Europe by interrogating or rethinking this notion, its purpose and uses. We welcome critical and imaginative contributions that explore constitutional identity as a dynamic, conservative, relational and/or future-oriented concept shaped through interactions between national constitutions and EU law as well as international law, including the ECHR. Authors are encouraged to consider how constitutional identity operates in contemporary contexts such as democratic backsliding or restoration, rule of law crises and digitalisation & AI.
Beyond reliance on established methodological approaches, this call also explicitly invites methodological innovations. Contributors may explore the rewriting, reframing, or reimagining of national constitutions or treaty texts as a method of inquiry and critique. This may include fashioning alternative preambles, speculative redrafting of constitutional or treaty provisions and rearticulations of constitutional values, as a way to expose assumptions, or propose normative alternatives. Such refreshed methodological approaches should be accompanied by critical reflection on their theoretical and constitutional implications. By opening space for both conventional analysis and new methods, the aim is for the contributions in volume 9 of the Yearbook to rethink constitutional identity not as a fixed boundary, but as a site of contestation, dialogue and possibility within Europe’s shared constitutional language.
Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The function of constitutional identity as a post-sovereign concept within the European constitutional space.
- The tensions and synergies between constitutional identity claims and the protection of fundamental rights at the national and European level (covering EU and/or ECHR law).
- (Re)assessing whether and how a shared EU constitutional identity can be articulated and/or its relationship with national constitutional identities.
- Assessing the use and abuse of constitutional identity in contexts of democratic erosion, rule of law crises, or authoritarian constitutionalism.
- Methodological experiments in rewriting parts of national constitutions (e.g. preambles) or EU treaties (e.g. art. 4(2) TEU) to clarify constitutional identity or reimagine and propose normative alternatives. This approach can also be applied to passages from judgements.
- Comparative lessons from jurisdictions beyond Europe, such as the basic structure doctrines in India and Malaysia, for example.
While the EYCL is devoted to the study of aspects of constitutional law and constitutionalism, interdisciplinary contributions and submissions from scholars researching the topic from a (social-)geographical, historical, anthropological or political science perspective are also welcomed.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 1 June 2026, although earlier submissions are encouraged.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Proposals of 350 to 500 words should be submitted to eycl@uvt.nl. Please put “Proposed paper, volume 9” in the subject line of your email. Proposals should clearly outline the proposed contribution’s main arguments, methodology, and relevance to the volume’s theme. Please also include your name, position, and institutional or organisational affiliation. Successful applicants will be notified by 1 July 2026.
Complete papers must be submitted by 1 December 2026. Manuscripts should be no longer than 10,000 words, including footnotes. In preparing their manuscript, authors should follow the EYCL Style Guide, which will be sent to them when notified about their successful application. Decisions to publish a submission are based on editorial and double-blind peer review.
ABOUT THE EYCL: The European Yearbook of Constitutional Law is an annual publication devoted to the study of constitutional law. The Yearbook provides a forum for in-depth analysis and discussion of new developments in constitutional law in Europe and beyond. Each issue is dedicated to a specific theme. Previous themes have included ‘Judicial Power: Safeguards and Limits in a Democratic Society’ (vol. 1, 2019), ‘The City in Constitutional Law’ (vol. 2, 2020), ‘Constitutional Advice’ (vol. 3, 2021), ‘A Constitutional Identity for the EU?’ (vol. 4, 2022), ‘Constitutional Law in the Digital Era’ (vol. 5, 2023), ‘Varieties of Constitutionalism’ (vol. 6, 2024), ‘Fundamental Rights in Times of Crisis’ (vol. 7, 2025) and ‘Social Rights and Constitutional Justice’ (vol. 8, 2026). The Yearbook is published by T.M.C. Asser Press in cooperation with Springer Publishers. The Editorial Board consists of Prof. Dr. Ingrid Leijten (Tilburg University), Prof. Dr. Jurgen de Poorter (Tilburg University), Dr. Gerhard van der Schyff (Tilburg University), Dr. Maarten Stremler (Maastricht University) and Prof. Dr. Maartje De Visser (Singapore Management University). Prof. Dr. Monika Polzin (Vienna University of Economics and Business) joins the board as a guest editor for volume 9. The Managing Editors are Sophie Vonk LL.M. (Tilburg University) and Bas Pasterkamp LL.M. (Maastricht University).
See: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/law/departments/plg/eycl