Demoicracy, transnational partisanship and the EU

Abstract:

Advocates of demoicracy dismiss the proposal to transform the EU into a supranational democracy on the grounds that there is no pan‐European demos. This article examines several arguments that have been advanced to that effect and, noting some problems left outstanding, goes on to suggest that demoicrats who endorse the no‐demos thesis fail to consider the possibility that citizens themselves may seek to europeanize the identities of Europeans.

If we take this possibility seriously, it not only follows that the no‐demos thesis is not a knockdown objection to supranational democracy. We are also provided with an alternative normative vision for transforming the EU into a legitimate supranational democratic order, one that turns upon the transformative potential of citizens who associate across borders in pursuit of shared political goals. The article concludes by examining this vision under the heading of ‘transnational partisanship’.