Stuck on the Rubicon? The resonance of the idea of demoi-cracy in media debates on the EU’s legitimacy

Abstract:

Theories of demoi-cracy have recently gained salience in the continuous debate on a legitimate democratic Euro polity. Demoi-crats argue that multiple demoi can provide the European Union (EU) with its much sought-after democratic legitimacy. This article aims to offer an empirical contribution to the literature on the EU as a legitimate demoi-cracy. The media debates in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France were analysed in order to identify resonance of demoi-cratic ideas. Comparative analysis of legitimation statements in opinion articles in two quality newspapers per country shows that the debates often share a similar point of departure as demoi-cratic theories. However, the evaluation of this situation and the existing EU structures' legitimacy relies on either intergovernmental or supranational democratic idea(l)s. In conclusion, the analysis offers little evidence of ideas of demoi-cracy resonating in these élite debates on the EU's legitimacy except for a few potentially promising exceptions.

This article is part of a Special Issue of the Journal of European Public Policy.