Theorizing the Democratic Legitimacy of European Governance: a Labyrinth with No Exit?

Abstract: In recent years, the question of the legitimacy of European governance and the repercussions it has on democratic procedures in EU member states has led to an extraordinarily intricate and controversial debate. Indeed, it seems as if one is trapped in a labyrinth with no exit. This article makes an effort to disentangle the intertwined strands of theory and to present an analytical differentiation that sheds light on this complex maze. Taking the available categorizations into consideration, this article develops a meta-theoretical framework that differentiates between particular concepts, objects, variables and standards of democratic legitimacy in the European multi-level system. The result is a heuristic that enables a more precise analysis and evaluation of democracy and legitimacy criticisms with which the European Union is increasingly confronted.