Politicising European democracy(ies)

Abstract

Despite the activities of the EU and national institutions as well as intermediate institutions and actors, research as well as opinion surveys diagnose a gap between what has been termed "EU elites" and EU citizens. The EU has a legitimacy problem, support rates have been decreasing during the peak of the financial crisis and despite the economic situation improving, votes for populist, extremist, anti-EU and anti-democrat parties and movements are on the rise throughout the EU. At the same time, the Europeanisation of politics and decision making continues to impact and transform the national democratic systems of the member states. The panel focuses on theoretical and conceptual aspects as well as empirical results of student views on EU democracy and EU politicization, and in particular this gap between the EU and its citizens. Discussing with EU Studies students means to discuss with a group of citizens that is relatively well informed about the EU and, as according to quantitative findings, supposedly Europhile. This choice allows to diagnose the problem of the EU as they are seen by a social group who is supposed to be a pro-EU avant-garde, and hence consists of key actors for EU development.

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