Legitimacy and democracy in the European State

Abstract

The question of the nature of the EU is closely related to the question of the Union’s legitimacy and its democratic status. If the EU 'only' is an advanced international organisation, the importance of legitimacy and democracy is fairly small; on the other hand, should the EU constitute some kind of state, these questions becomes crucial. In the latter case, how does one secure legitimacy, and is it possible at all to institute a democratic form?