Europe at a crossroads – government or transnational governance?

Abstract:

Economic globalisation fosters transnational systems of governance that are seen to threaten nationally based systems of democracy. These developments raise several questions, both of a theoretical and of an empirical nature. First, what are the prospects for democratising transnational governance structures? In other words can democracy be disassociated from government? Second, what is the role of the EU - is it a transnational governance system or a fledgling system of government? Addressing these questions will help shed light on the third and final concern, namely, what is the democratic quality of the EU? The focus is on selected institutional aspects of the EU pertaining to Comitology, Courts, the European Parliament, and aspects of the process of constitution-making. Are these bodies representative of transnational governance, or of government? What are their contributions to democratising the EU?