It is widely recognized that the European crisis exhibits, but also amplifies, asymmetries and tensions in the EU’s institutional structure. One effect of the crisis is for states to occupy permanently different roles and statuses in the EU, a situation that could manifest itself in differentiated authority structures and patterns of decision-making. We may refer to these as differentiation, which is not the same as differentiated integration. Differentiated integration refers to a process where patterns of differentiation move in the same direction, whereas differentiation includes: (a) those differences that exist in the states that come together and implement and carry out joint decisions; (b) the process of integration or disintegration; and (c) different membership statuses. Thus, his article addresses two questions: What forms and shapes does EU differentiation take in the realm of representative democracy? And: what are the implications for the theory and the practice of democracy?
