The discussion about a constitution for the European Union and its rejection by referendum in two of the EU founding member states has once again spurred public and scholarly interest in the democratic quality and potential of the European Union.Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union brings together distinguished thinkers from law, political science, sociology, and political philosophy to explore the potential for democratically legitimate governance in the European Union. Drawing on different theoretical perspectives and strands from democratic theory, this volume is the first of its kind to overcome the present state of fragmentation in the debate about the conditions and possible remedies for what is often called the "democratic deficit" of the European Union. Among the pressing questions addressed by the contributors are: What future is there for parliamentary democracy in the European Union? Can we observe the evolution of a European public sphere and civil society? Can participatory democracy or deliberative democracy pave the road for a democratically legitimate European Union? Conversations about democracy have engaged the public in a new way since the beginning of the Iraq war, and this volume is the best resource for students and readers who are interested in democracy in the European Union.

Contributions by: Rudy B. Andeweg, Katrin Auel, Arthur Benz, Lars-Erik Cederman, Damian Chalmers, Deirdre Curtin, Donatella Della Porta, Klaus Eder, Erik O. Eriksen, Ulrich Haltern, Hubert Heinelt, Doug Imig, Christian Joerges, Beate Kohler-Koch, Christopher Lord, Paul Magnette, Andreas Maurer, Jeremy Richardson, Berthold Rittberger, Rainer Schmalz-Bruns, Michael Th. Greven, Hans-Jörg Trenz, and Armin von Bogdandy

Beate Kohler-Koch holds the Jean Monnet Chair for European Integration at the University of Mannheim.Berthold Rittberger is chair of political science and contemporary history at the University of Mannheim.

Chapter 1: Charting Crowded Territory: Debating the Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union
Part I: Democracy: The Constitutional Principle of the EU
Chapter 2: A Disputed Idea Becomes Law: Remarks on European Democracy as a Legal Principle
Part II: What Future for Parliamentary Democracy in the EU?
Chapter 3: Expanding National Parliamentary Control: Does it Enhance European Democracy?
Chapter 4: The European Parliament between Policy-Making and Control
Chapter 5: Constructing Parliamentary Democracy in the European Union: How Did It Happen?
Chapter 6: Parliamentary Representation in a Decentred Polity
Part III: The Public Sphere and Civil Society: Pre-Requisites for Democratically Legitimate Rule-Making
Chapter 7: Pre-Requisites of Transnational Democracy and Mechanisms of Sustaining it: The Case of the European Union
Chapter 8: The Europeanization of Protest: A Typology and Empirical Evidence
Part IV: Democracy and Political Participation
Chapter 9: Participatory Governance and European Democracy
Chapter 10: Some Considerations on Participation in Participatory Governance
Chapter 11: The Organization of Interests and Democracy in the European Union
Part V: Deliberative Democracy
Chapter 12: The Euro-Polity in Perspective: Some Normative Lessons from Deliberative Democracy
Chapter 13: Reconceptualizing the Supremacy of European Law: A Plea for a Supranational Conflict of Laws