An invaluable exploration of the concern that transfers of power to European Union institutions are producing a worrying new form of democratic deficit. While ongoing reforms of these institutions promise to render decision processes at European level more transparent and accountable, these expert authors examine whether there is a European public sphere for citizens and their representatives to discuss, deliberate and evaluate issues of public relevance. They show how the process of European integration has given rise to a new object of study - European society, and why key questions concerning identity, citizenship, democracy, government and institutions are being raised anew and are major political concerns at European and Member State level. With six case studies of EU policy-making and representative institutions, they analyze the intensity of participatory practices in four dimensions: mobilization of societal actors, public contestation and debate, openness of decision-making, and responsiveness of policy makers. This book will be of strong interest to students and researchers of the European Union, European politics, European studies as well as those concerned with more theoretical aspects of governance and the public sphere.

The process of European integration has given rise to a new object of study - the European society. Several old questions concerning citizenship, democracy, government and institutions must be raised anew, this time at the European level. These are not only academic issues, but also major political concerns at European and member state level.
There are fears that transfers of power to European institutions produce a characteristically new and worrying form of democratic "deficit." The recent rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands suggests that this democratic deficit is beginning to impact on the Union's legitimacy, further endangering the European project of "ever closer union."
How can this crisis be overcome and in which direction should the European Union be moving? This new volume:
- Takes a closer look at the Union's democratic deficit in an effort to establish its precise character and location.
- Scrutinizes top-down institutional opportunity structures for participation, the actors that are shaping bottom-up mobilization, as well as the ideologies and discourses that are informing attempts to generalize political claims beyond the national level.
- Provides a detailed insight into the scope and character of participatory practice in decision-making, the structure and visions of the European political class, the role of civil society organization and trans-national movements.
- Looks at the debate on the EU as a community of values as well as the views about Europe in the new member states.
This book will be of strong interest to students and researchers of the European Union, European Politics and European Studies as wellas those concerned with more theoretical aspects of governance and the public sphere.