The Changing Role of Citizens in EU Democratic Governance

This collection discusses the challenges of reforming EU democracy through increased citizen participation beyond elections. It asks fundamental questions such as whether the institutionalisation of citizens in EU public law is a prerequisite for addressing these challenges and the extent to which such institutionalisation is taking place in the EU. To these ends, the contributors analyse the latest institutional initiatives, proposals and practices such as:citizen assemblies;citizen consultations and dialogues on European integration and draft legislation;the Conference on the Future of Europe;the reform of the European Citizens' Initiative;the evolving role of the European Ombudsman;citizen petitions to the European Parliament;the roles of the civil society and the European Economic and Social Committee Offering reflections on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book is a much-needed reminder of the importance of the role of citizens in EU governance. Volume 117 in the Series Modern Studies in European Law Foreword Acknowledgements Contents List of Contributors PART I: THE EVOLVING INSTITUTIONAL POSITION OF THE CITIZEN IN EU PUBLIC LAW 1. The Institutionalisation of Citizens in the EU: Citizenship and Democracy I. Citizens as Public Law Actors: Theme, Relevance and Objectives II. Political Citizenship in Flux: Participation Beyond Elections III. The EU's Democracy Disconnects: Participation Beyond Representation IV. Structure 2. The European Politeia: Democracy and Citizenship without a State I. Citizens in the European Democratic Formula and why it Matters II. The European Demoi in the Treaties III. Active Citizenship as Part of a 'System of its Kind' IV. The Contribution of the Lisbon Treaty to Defining the European Political Formula V. Is there a European Demos in the Making? VI. The Pros and Cons of a European Politeia without a European Demos VII. Concluding Remarks 3. Understanding the Unstable Frames of Citizen Participation in the EU: The Field Effect, Public Sphere and Governance Functions I. Introduction II. The Changing Structures of Opportunity for Civil Society in the EU III. Why Do Changes in Participation Opportunities Matter? IV. Conclusion: Beyond Insiders and Outsiders PART II: CITIZENSHIP BEYOND ELECTIONS 4. The Right to Petition, EU Citizens and the European Parliament: Rise of the Triad? I. Introduction II. The Institutional Context III. The Actual Use of Petitions: A Quantitative Survey IV. Actual Use: A Qualitative Survey V. Conclusion: Exploding the Myth(s) 5. Fostering Citizens’ Control Over and Participation in EU Democratic Life: The Ever-Increasing Importance of the European Ombudsman I. Introduction II. The European Ombudsman as a Guardian of the Right to Good Administration and European Citizenship: A Win-Win Situation III. Fostering Citizens' Participation IV. Fostering Citizens' Control V. Concluding Remarks 6. What Role for Citizens in Ongoing Legislative Processes? The Legal Implications for Transparency and Access to Documents I. Introduction II. The Legal Framework on Transparency and Access to Documents III. Transparency in 'Proposal-Making' IV. Transparency in Ongoing Trilogues V. Critical Assessment and Outlook VI. Conclusions PART III: DEMOCRACY BEYOND REPRESENTATION Participation and EU Integration 7. From Paris with Love: President Macron’s Democratic Conventions in Context I. Introduction II. Envisioning EU Democratic Renewal III. The Institutional Set-up and Context of the Democratic Conventions IV. Outcomes of the Democratic Conventions and the Wider Citizen Consultations V. Assessment in Light of the EU's Existing Democratic Settlement VI. Concluding Remarks 8. The Conference on the Future of Europe: Bringing the EU Closer to its Citizens? I. Introduction II. Citizen Consultation Initiatives at the National Level: The Case of Belgium III. The Conference on the Future of Europe IV. Concluding Remarks 9. EU Participatory Democracy: Citizens’ Assemblies and the Conference on the Future of Europe I. Introduction II. Strong Participatory Democracy III. Citizens' Assembly to Renew Engagement on the Future of Europe (CARE) IV. Citizens' Panels of the Conference on the Future of Europe V. Conclusion Participation and EU Legislation 10. Is There Anybody Out There? The Role and Functioning of Pre-legislative Consultations in the EU I. Introduction: Innovative Solutions to Old Problems? II. A Paradigm Shift in EU Policy-Making III. The Better Regulation Agenda and the Democratic Role of Pre-legislative Consultations IV. Setting the Standards for European Stakeholder Consultations V. The Online Consultations Regime VI. The Participation of Represented Interests in Pre-legislative Consultations VII. Conclusions 11. The European Citizens’ Initiative: Towards a User-Friendly, Participatory and Powerful Agenda Initiative for the EU I. Introduction II. Designing the ECI and Unrealistic Expectations III. The ECI in Practice: Expectations Meet Reality IV. Revising the ECI V. Conclusion 12. The European Citizens’ Initiative: Caught between Executive Dominance and Judicial Restraint? I. Introduction II. The Evolution of the Legislative Framework III. Judicial Restraint in the Court's Interpretation of the Legal Framework? IV. The Outcome of Successful ECIs: A Showcase of Executive Dominance? V. Ways Forward? VI. Conclusion 13. The Role of the European Economic and Social Committee in Improving EU Citizen Participation PART IV: CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS 14. Beyond the Post-it: Citizen Engagement in Policy-Making through Material Deliberation I. Introduction II. Challenging the 'Technologies of Participation' III. Two Cases of Material Deliberation and Co-creation Run by the JRC Makerspace IV. The Potential of 'Making' for Citizen Engagement in the European Commission V. Concluding Remarks 15. Looking for the Silver Lining: The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Window of Opportunity for Citizen Participation in the EU I. Introduction II. New Crisis, Old Stakes III. The Pandemic Moment IV. Citizens' Demands on the CoFoE Digital Platform: A Preliminary Analysis V. Conclusion 16. Conclusions Bibliography Index "This collection discusses the challenges of reforming EU democracy through increased citizen participation beyond elections. It asks fundamental questions such as whether the institutionalisation of citizens in EU public law is a prerequisite for addressing these challenges and the extent to which such institutionalisation is taking place in the EU. To these ends, the contributors analyse the latest institutional initiatives, proposals and practices such as: *citizen assemblies; *citizen consultations and dialogues on European integration and draft legislation; *the Conference on the Future of Europe; *the reform of the European Citizens' Initiative; *the evolving role of the European Ombudsman; *citizen petitions to the European Parliament; *the roles of the civil society and the European Economic and Social Committee. Offering reflections on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, this book is a much needed reminder of the importance of the role of citizens in EU governance."-- Provided by publisher