Gisela Hernández is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), working on the project “Parliamentary accountability and EU action against democratic backsliding”.

She holds a PhD in Law, Government and Public Policy from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Her doctoral thesis, titled “The Council of the European Union and Rule of Law Enforcement: Institutional Logics and the use of the Enforcement Instruments”, was awarded cum laude and received a special mention in the Premio Juan Linz 2024, granted by Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales.

From 2021 to 2025, she was an FPU Fellow at the Institute of Public Goods and Policies (IPP-CSIC) and a team member of the InDeComply Project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science. From September to December 2023, she was a visiting researcher at IEE-ULB.

She previously took part in the H2020 RECONNECT Project (2020–2022). She also worked at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Madrid Office, in 2019, conducting research on migration and border management issues in the EU.

Her work has been published in Politics and Governance, The Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Journal of Common Market Studies, West European Politics, and Journal of European Public Policy. Her areas of specialisation include the European Union, institutions, the rule of law, democracy, enforcement and compliance.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Erasmus+ programme at Jagiellonian University in Kraków). She received the Premio Extraordinario de Fin de Grado (First Class Honours), as well as the Third National Award for University Graduates (2018–2019) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. She also holds a Master’s degree in European Studies from San Pablo CEU University. She is a native Spanish speaker with advanced English (C1 – Cambridge Advanced Certificate) and upper-intermediate French (B2 – DELF).

Peer-review articles

Hernández, G. (2025) ‘Expect the Best, Prepare for the Worst? EU Council Anticipation of rule of law Challenges During the Hungarian Presidency’, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.70009.

Closa, C., & Hernández, G. (2025) ‘Unravelling national governments’ positions on EU rule of law enforcement: structural, semi-structural and ideological factors’, Journal of European Public Policy, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2025.2451365 

Closa, C. & Hernández, G. (2025) ‘Defining and Operationalising Defiant Non-compliance in the EU: The Rule of Law Case’, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13676

Hernández, G. (2024) ‘The Powers of the Presidency of the Council of the EU to Shape the Rule of Law Enforcement Agenda: The Article 7 Case’, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 62: 1159–1176, https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13551

Hernández, G. & Closa, C. (2023) ‘Turning assertive? EU rule of law enforcement in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine’, West European Politics, 47(4), 967–995. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2023.2268492

Hernández, G. & Closa, C. (2022) ‘The Challenge of Catalan Secessionism to the European Model of the Rule of Law’, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, 14, 257–285, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40803-022-00177-7

Closa, C. González, F. & Hernández, G. (2021) ‘Pragmatism and the limits on the EP´s strategies for self- empowerment’, Politics and Governance, Volume 9, Issue 3, https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v9i3.4243

Book Chapters

Closa, C. and Hernández, G. (2022) ‘El papel de las opiniones de la Comisión de Venecia en la crisis del Estado de Derecho en la UE’, in Castellá. J. M., Montobbio, A. M., Granata-Menghini, S. (dirs.) (2022) ‘Estado de Derecho, Democracia y Globalización’, Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales, Madrid 2022, ISBN CEPC en papel: 978-84-259-1952-7, ISBN CEPC PDF: 978-84-259-1951-0

Book reviews

Hernández, G. (2025) Commissioned Book Review: Martinico, G. (2023). The tangled complexity of the EU constitutional process. The frustrating knot of Europe (2.ª ed.), Gestión Y Análisis De Políticas Públicas, (37), 97–99, https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11504 

Hernández, G. (2024) Commissioned Book Review: Hinojosa-Martínez, Luis M. & Pérez Bernárdez, Carmela (Eds.) ‘Enhancing the Rule of Law in the European Union’s External Action’, Revista General de Derecho Europeo, 62, Enero 2024, iustel

Hernández, G. (2023) Commissioned Book Review: Ramona Coman, The Politics of the Rule of Law in the EU Polity, Actors, Tools and Challenges, Political Studies Review, 22(1), NP15-NP16, https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299231187221

Reports and Policy Briefs

Closa, C. & Hernández González, G. (2023) ‘From scrutiny to implementation: reinforcing the impact of the rule of law report’, STG Policy Briefs, 2023/05, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2870/62418 

Closa, C. & Hernández González, G. (2021) ‘Towards a strengthened methodology for the elaboration of the Rule of Law Report’, STG Policy Brief, 2021/22, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2870/39908 

Hernández, G. (2021) ‘Informe De Conferencia: Seminario Debates Sobre El Estado (X): Reformas Contemporáneas Del Estado De Derecho’, Cuadernos Manuel Giménez Abad, Nº22, December 2021

Hernández, G. (2021) ‘La independencia del Consejo General del Poder Judicial en España. Una perspectiva comparada con los países del entorno y propuestas de mejora’, Estudios de Progreso, Fundación Alternativas

Contributions to Research Projects’ Deliverables

Grogan, J. & Pech, L. (eds.) (2021) ‘The crystallisation of a core EU meaning of the rule of law and its (limited) normative influence beyond the EU’, RECONNECT, Work Package 7 - Deliverable 3, 30.04.2021

Bárd, P. & Grabowska-Moroz, B. (eds.) (2020) ‘The strategies and mechanisms used by national authorities to systematically undermine the Rule of Law and possible EU responses’, RECONNECT, Work Package 8 - Deliverable 2, 31.12.2020

Others (Press, Think tanks, Blogs)

Hernández, G. & Closa, C. (2025) ‘¿Por qué algunos gobiernos impulsan la defensa del Estado de derecho mientras otros la obstaculizan?’, Agenda Pública, 7 March 2025

Hernández, G. (2023) A Snap Election at the start of the Spain’s Council Presidency, Brexit Institute Blog, 10 July 2023

Hernández, G. (2022) ‘Entre el diseño institucional y la ideología, ¿podemos renovar el Consejo General del Poder Judicial?’, El País, 24 October 2022

Mayoral Díaz-Asensio, J. A., Hernández González, G., Castillo-Ortiz, P. (2022) ‘El 'euro-modelo' de gobierno judicial: ¿factor de erosión para la confianza ciudadana en la Justicia?’, Agenda Pública, 13 October 2022

Hernández, G. (2022) ‘The Rule of Law’, in The State of the European Union, UKICES & UACES Report, 23 June 2022

Hernández, G. (2022) ‘European Commission launches Rule of Law conditionality mechanism against the Hungarian government’, UKICES, Article, 18 April 2022

Hernández, G. (2021) Spain, BRIDGE Network Country Report, The BRIDGE network blog,  bridgenetwork.eu

Closa, C. & Hernández, G. (2020) ‘Institutional Logics and the EU’s Limited Sanctioning Capacity under Article 7 TEU’, RECONNECT Blogpost, 25.05.2020

Hernández, G. and Torreblanca, J. I., (2019) ‘Spain, the European Oasis’, Commentary, ECFR, ecfr.eu

Parliamentary accountability and EU action against democratic backsliding, Project reference: 547672734, funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), IP: Thomas Winzen (HHU). Postdoctoral Researcher.

Institutional design for enforcing Rule of Law compliance in the EU (InDeComply), Project reference: PID2021-122448NB-I00, Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2021, Agencia Estatal de investigación - Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de España, PI: Carlos Closa (IPP-CSIC).  Member of the working team from 2022 to 2025.

Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and Rule of Law (RECONNECT), Horizon 2020, Project Reference: 770142, IP: Jan Wouters (KU Leuven). Member of the working team from 2020 to 2022.