Democracy in Europe. The expressions of a European disease

The EU is widely praised as the economic cum political structure that has allowed Europeans to conjure the ghosts of the past: to grow and to prosper economically and to overcome a historical tendency to engage in war against each other and beyond. Today, very few would deny that Europe is the epicentre not only of an unprecedented economic crisis, but of an equally unprecedented political crisis. Some analysts view this conjunction as a resounding call for reviewing received concepts and proceeding towards greater integration, improving mechanisms of economic stabilization and stimulation, enhancing political representativeness and regenerating the conditions for citizens’ participation. Others bluntly speak of a serious disease that pervades Europe’s political fabric.