European University Institute Library

Representative democracy in Europe, the democratic legitimacy of decision-making institutions of the EU, Andreas Pottakis

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

Representative democracy in Europe

914477122

Andreas Pottakis

the democratic legitimacy of decision-making institutions of the EU

The democracy debate in the EU concentrates on two parameters: the political community-the demos- and the institutional setting that better accommodates it. A common political culture can be crafted on principles of justice and good governance. It need not, and cannot, replace the cultural homogeneity of national communities. Democratic legitimacy in the ?U is not analysed along lines of antithesis, but through a synthesis of different models. Further increasing the EP powers will exacerbate the legitimacy deficit of the Union. The ?? itself is not legitimate. Democratic legitimacy and efficiency in Council deliberations should not be treated as a zero-sum game, but as mutually complementing parameters of good governance. Voting configurations in the Council should be fair, according to the principle of ?institutional parity?. Yet, to confront the dilemmas of democratic organisation in a post-national era a more profound reconsideration of the institutional architecture at all levels of governance and a re-evaluation of the liberal- democratic principles is needed to bridge the ever- widening gap between government structures and society --, Provided by Publisher