The Promise of EU Democracy Reconnecting European Citizens?

European integration has been built on the promise of democracy. Not only should the Member States be founded on democratic principles, but the Union itself should extend these principles to the supranational level, thereby fostering democratic relations between the Member States and their citizens. While the European Union prides itself on the democratic character of its Member States and has adopted many institutional reforms to this end, deep divides persist between the different Member States. The Promise of EU Democracy: Reconnecting European Citizens? brings together legal scholars, political scientists, and historians to offer a comprehensive assessment of the EU's capacity to forge democracy across borders. It identifies where this potential remains unfulfilled and explores key policy domains, including migration, trade, fiscal and macroeconomic governance, and the Covid-19 pandemic, to evaluate how far the Union has moved towards, or away from, its democratic aspirations Thought-provoking and timely, this volume offers a new conceptual angle to understand the EU's democratic project. In an era of growing contestation both within and outside the Union, this book offers a compelling reflection on the relevance and resilience of democracy in Europe today.

Jan Wouters is Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam EU and Global Governance, and founding Director of the Institute for International Law and of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at KU Leuven. Julie Smith is Professor of European Politics at Cambridge University and Fellow in Politics of Robinson College, Cambridge. Her research focuses on the history and politics of the European Union, especially democracy in Europe and the UK's relations with the EU. Kolja Raube is Associate Professor in European Governance and EU External Action at the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is Director of the Joint Bachelor of European Studies and co-editor of the series Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Ben Crum is Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). He researches the ways in which democratic institutions respond to contemporary challenges like internationalization, socio-economic inequalities, and digitalization.