Democracy And The European Union (ethical Economy)

The European Union is a new subject for theories of legitimacy, posing fundamental questions to the established concepts and principles of democratic theory. General compliance and popular acceptance and respect for European law is at stake. The volume addresses the main challenges of the European Union to democratic theory. The legitimacy of such transnational institutions born by political integration has so far received some but scant attention. The mere existence of the Union proves that the sovereign state cannot remain the sole focus of normative reflection. Indeed, the very conception of sovereignty is at stake. The present volume combines political science and normative political theory to offer concepts, arguments and criteria that further these debates, addressing problems of principle. Front Matter....Pages I-X Democracy and the European Union: Challenges....Pages 1-10 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 Is it Really Possible to Democratize the Euro-Polity?....Pages 13-36 Democracy and Governance in the European Union....Pages 37-64 Democratic Legitimacy and the Role of the Commission....Pages 65-80 The EU Intergovernmental Conference 1996/97: The Moment of Constitutional Choice for a Democratic Europe?....Pages 81-107 Double Asymmetry as Normative Challenge....Pages 108-131 Front Matter....Pages 133-133 Democracy in Multicultural Societies and Multinational Settings....Pages 135-159 How to Create Supra-National Institutions Democratically....Pages 160-185 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 The Problem of Autonomy and Democracy in a Complex Polity: the European Union....Pages 189-203 Individuality and the EU Project....Pages 204-213 Fatherland Europe? On European and National Identity and Democratic Sovereignty....Pages 214-230 Democracy and Federalism in the European Union....Pages 231-253 The Normative Challenge of a European Polity: Cosmopolitan and Communitarian Models Compared, Criticised and Combined....Pages 254-284 Front Matter....Pages 285-285 Should the European Union Become More Democratic?....Pages 287-301 Back Matter....Pages 302-309