Central Europe as a Legal Phenomenon

This article argues that Central Europe is not just a cultural but also a legal phenomenon. This is made explicit if law is approached through the integral conception of law, defended here. Pursuant to this conception: law is an institutional normative order that is both highly dependent on the (legal) culture, which it simultaneously frames. It is argued that history has inflicted many pathologies on the Central European culture and consequently on the law too. These pathologies, briefly illustrated on the Slovenian example, form part of the broader Central European legal malaise. This can be addressed successfully only through the veritable regional cooperation of Central European countries that partake of these legal challenges. To do so, an appropriate forum is needed. The Visegrad Group comes across as a natural and best suited candidate. However, due to its self-conceived political exclusivity this option appears to be foreclosed. Paradoxically, in so doing, the Visegrad Group is defeating the very objectives for which it has been created. The article thus concludes that the Visegrad Group has to enlarge to stay faithful to its own values, which also, and in the first place, mandate the eradication of the Central European legal malaise