This special issue of Poliarchie/Polyarchies presents some contributions towards the project “The Rule of Law in the new EU Member States” (EUinCEE; no. 620097-EPP- 1-2020-1-IT-EPPJMO-MODULE), which has been coordinated by Serena Baldin at the University of Trieste (Italy) and co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Action Jean Monnet Modules. Serena Baldin, Davide Strazzari, Giuseppe Ieraci and Mattia Zulianello were directly involved in the project. This special issue also includes essays written by academics invited to the EUinCEE final conference held in Trieste in October 2022, dedicated to “The rule of law in post-socialist countries and the future of the European integration”. The rule of law is listed among the founding