This is the inaugural panel of the seminar “Change through (Dis)Agreement: Reforming the Rule of Law in a Divided Society,” organized jointly with Democracy Reporting International and hosted at Humboldt University in Berlin.

The panel will be open to online participants. The participation link will be published on this website on February 20, 2026.

Were efforts to stop and reverse the conservative revolutionary moment — or, in liberal terms, rule-of-law backsliding — doomed from the start?

Drawing on the cross-partisan insights of the local bestseller Let’s Agree on Poland: A Case Study in Strategic Constitutional Design, which brought together progressive and conservative voices to propose bold and comprehensive constitutional reforms, the seminar convenes leading experts from across the political spectrum. Together, they will examine how democracies can engage electorally successful illiberal movements without compromising core constitutional values.

The election of Karol Nawrocki as President of Poland in June 2025 underscores the enduring appeal of revolutionary conservative movements across Europe — even when their assaults on democratic institutions are publicly exposed or partially reversed. Reflecting on Poland’s contested process of rule-of-law restoration, the event offers broader lessons for constitutional systems grappling with democratic repair in deeply divided societies — a challenge of growing relevance across Europe and beyond.