Comenius University Grants
Grant projects supported within the internal grant schemes of Comenius University Bratislava and the Recovery and Resilience Plan
Postdoctoral Grant of Comenius University Bratislava GUKPOST/15/2025 Identity, Integration, (Un)certainty: Current Legal Challenges of the European Union
Postdoctoral Grant of Comenius University Bratislava under the Internal GUKPOST 2025 Scheme
GUKPOST/15/2025 Identity, Integration, (Un)certainty: Current Legal Challenges of the European Union
Principal investigator: JUDr. Sára Kiššová, PhD.
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The aim of the project “Identity, Integration, (Un)certainty: Current Legal Challenges of the European Union” was to provide a comprehensive analysis of current legal challenges facing the European Union, with a particular focus on the relationship between the national and constitutional identity of the Member States and the EU legal order. The research focused primarily on the definition and interpretation of the concept of national identity under Article 4(2) TEU and its application in the case law and legal practice of the Member States and the European Union. The project also aimed to identify and analyse the tensions between the process of European integration and the preservation of Member State sovereignty, including a critical assessment of the role of the concept of identity as a potential limit to the application of EU law. Special attention was paid to the distinction between national and constitutional identity and to their legal implications in the context of the functioning of the EU legal order. An additional objective of the project was to examine the connection between questions of identity and the European Union’s security policy, particularly in the areas of defence and arms export control, where new forms of tension arise between Member State sovereignty and the principle of sincere cooperation.
Publication outputs:
Scientific articles:
Kiššová, S.: On a constitutional and national identity of the EU member states: same but different ?
Excellent Grant UK/3268/2024 European Economic Area – Advantages and Disadvantages of Incomplete Integration
Excellent Grant of Comenius University Bratislava under the Internal GUKE 2024 Scheme:
UK/3268/2024 European Economic Area – Advantages and Disadvantages of Incomplete Integration
Principal investigator: Mgr. Igor Sloboda
Project start: 22 April 2024
Project completion: 31 December 2024
The European Economic Area, established in 1992, represents a unique system of regional cooperation which, compared to other forms of regional cooperation, is particularly closely linked to the European Union. Similarly to the legal order of the EU, the EEA is based on an international agreement of a sui generis nature. Through the EEA, a homogeneous economic area has been created, guaranteeing the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. The EEA thus connects the EU with the States of the European Free Trade Association that are contracting parties to the EEA Agreement, extending the EU internal market to those States. Relations between the EU Member States and the EEA EFTA States are characterised by legislative and judicial dialogue through supranational institutions such as the Court of Justice of the European Union and the EFTA Court. The two-pillar structure established by the EEA Agreement has created a unique mechanism linking the legal orders of the EU and the EEA EFTA States. The analysis of this model of regional cooperation is significant for several reasons. First, this is due to the specific relationship between the EU and the EEA EFTA States, which together form an extensive economic area. Second, the EEA contributes to the creation of institutional and political partnerships that reflect those of the EU. All EU legal acts with EEA relevance must be incorporated into the EEA framework and implemented by the EEA EFTA States into their national legal orders. At the same time, EEA legal rules must be interpreted in line with the relevant treaty framework. This follows from the very structure of the EEA: since the EU constitutes one of its founding pillars, the future development of the EEA is closely connected to the legislative and judicial development of the EU itself. This relationship may, however, also give rise to negative disproportions affecting the position of the EEA EFTA States at several levels.
Publication outputs:
Dissertation thesis:
Sloboda, I.: Európsky hospodársky priestor - výhody a nevýhody neúplnej integrácie
Scientific articles:
Sloboda, I.: Dialogue Between the EFTA Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union Through the Advocates General Opinions
Sloboda, I.: How the EFTA Court’s “Durable Medium” Test Travelled to the CJEU: A Case Study of E-4/09 Inconsult and C-375/15 BAWAG
Grant Project UK/1378/2025 “Differentiation in the Conditions of the European Union – Challenges and Perspectives of the Legal Order
Comenius University Grant under the Internal Grant Scheme “Comenius University Grants 2025”
Grant Project UK/1378/2025 Differentiation in the Conditions of the European Union – Challenges and Perspectives of the Legal Order
Principal investigator: Mgr. Igor Sloboda
Project start: 22 March 2025
Project completion: 31 December 2025
Building on previous research, the submitted project aims to identify the challenges associated with maintaining legal integrity and to assess whether differentiation can serve as an effective tool for managing differences among the Member States. The results of the project will contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of differentiation in the EU legal order and will provide proposals for improving the Union’s legislative and policy strategies. In this way, the project will support the discussion on the future of European integration and its legal foundations in the context of the growing need to balance flexibility and unity. For this purpose, the project will primarily focus on examining the legal foundations of differentiation in EU law and on analysing the concept of differentiation within the EU legal system, taking into account its historical, current and future development. Secondarily, the research will also address those States which are not members of the EU but cooperate with it through the European Economic Area (EEA), associated membership, or other forms of regional partnership.
Publication outputs:
Scientific articles:
Sloboda, I.: How the EEA Enables Indirect Participation in the EU’s CFSP: The Case of Norway
Grant UK/1378/2026 Compliance with European Union Requirements in the Decision-Making Practice of Law Enforcement Authorities and Courts in the Slovak Republic in Connection with the Protection of the Union’s Financial Interests
Comenius University Grant under the Internal Grant UK 2026 Scheme:
Grant UK/1378/2026 Compliance with European Union Requirements in the Decision-Making Practice of Law Enforcement Authorities and Courts in the Slovak Republic in Connection with the Protection of the Union’s Financial Interests
Principal investigator: Mgr. Patrik Gábor
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The project focuses on analysing compliance with the requirements of European Union law in the decision-making practice of law enforcement authorities and courts in criminal proceedings within the Slovak Republic in the field of protecting the Union’s financial interests. The main objective is to examine the conformity of practical application with the requirements laid down by the PIF Directive and Article 325 TFEU, as well as with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union interpreting this area. The project will assess the effectiveness of sanctions and compliance with the requirements for imposing effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties. It will analyse the decision-making practice of law enforcement authorities, courts, and the Court of Justice of the European Union, with the aim of identifying the requirements arising from EU law and subsequently comparing them with their actual application in the practice of Slovak law enforcement authorities and courts on the basis of specific cases. The project will ultimately evaluate whether the requirements of EU law are fulfilled in practice. Financial resources are intended for professional literature and conference participation, as the project envisages four partial outputs in the form of four articles/conference papers published in conference proceedings, together forming a coherent whole. The outputs also have the potential for further implementation in subsequent academic publications and in teaching activities. The project forms part of the researcher’s dissertation project and therefore represents a subject of long-term academic interest in which the researcher intends to continue.
Publication outputs:
Grant UK/1289/2026 Computer Games and Their Regulation under European Union Competition Law
Comenius University Grant under the Internal Grant UK 2026 Scheme:
Grant UK/1289/2026 Computer Games and Their Regulation under European Union Competition Law
Principal investigator: Mgr. Dominika Krištofičová
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The aim of the proposed research project is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the regulation of the video game market through European Union competition law. The project focuses on identifying and systematically examining regulatory mechanisms derived from EU competition law that affect the structure and functioning of the video game market, as well as on assessing the limitations and shortcomings of this regulatory framework. The research includes an analytical review of relevant decisions of EU institutions, in particular the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, alongside an examination of enforcement practice in competition law. Special attention is devoted to the specific characteristics of digital market regulation, including innovation dynamics, network effects, and market power asymmetries. The project addresses a gap in legal doctrine, as the regulation of video games through competition law has not yet been comprehensively analysed, despite its growing economic relevance and technological complexity. The project aims to deliver an original and academically relevant contribution to the doctrine of digital market regulation under EU law.
Publication outputs:
Grant UK/1130/2026 Between National and European Identity: Unity in Diversity or a Conflict of Values?
Comenius University Grant under the Internal Grant UK 2026 Scheme:
Grant UK/1130/2026 Between National and European Identity: Unity in Diversity or a Conflict of Values?
Principal investigator: Mgr. Vanda Peťková
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The project focuses on the analysis of the relationship between European identity, based on the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU, and the national identity of the Member States, which the Union is obliged to respect pursuant to Article 4(2) TEU. The starting point of the project is the current crisis of the values and the increasingly frequent invocation of national identity by certain Member States as a justification for departing from Union law and shared values. The project aims to examine whether, and under what conditions, a conflict between European and national identity arises. Through a systematic analysis of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and relevant academic literature, the project identifies the Court’s decision-making trends, as well as the limits and reasons for invoking national identity within the EU’s value framework. The findings will subsequently be subjected to synthetic analysis in order to identify systemic risks associated with the invocation of national identity in relation to European identity. In addition, a balancing-of-interests method will be applied to assess and propose a possible compromise between the protection of European and national identity. The outcomes of the project will consist of normative conclusions and recommendations aimed at strengthening a coherent interpretation of national identity as a concept that does not weaken but rather complements European identity and contributes to the stability and value integrity of the European Union. Therefore, the project’s outputs will have practical relevance for national courts, legislators, and public authorities by providing interpretative guidance and recommendations that support the responsible invocation of national identity without undermining the values on which the European Union is founded.
Publication outputs:
Grant UK/1288/2026 Legal Responses of Third Countries to the Extraterritorial Effects of European Union Economic Law
Comenius University Grant under the Internal Grant UK 2026 Scheme
Grant UK/1288/2026 Legal Responses of Third Countries to the Extraterritorial Effects of European Union Economic Law
Principal investigator: Mgr. Tomáš Žifčák
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Project completion:
The project examines the legal responses available to third countries to the extraterritorial effects of European Union economic law. It is based on the observation that EU regulations in areas such as competition law, the digital economy, consumer protection, and environmental standards increasingly produce effects beyond the territory of the Union, impacting the legal systems of nonEU states. The project treats these effects as a given regulatory context and does not focus on their legitimacy, but rather on the legal reaction capacity of third states as autonomous legal actors. The main objective is to identify, systematise, and assess the legal instruments available to third countries under the existing contractual and multilateral legal framework, beyond mere implementation of EU law (the so-called Brussels Effect). The research focuses in particular on mechanisms arising from free trade agreements, WTO rules, and principles of public international law. Methodologically, the project relies on doctrinal legal analysis, treaty analysis, and a targeted comparative approach. The outcome will be a coherent analytical framework of legal responses by third states, offering both theoretical and practical contributions to EU and international economic law.
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