Analysing Structured Paths of Lobbying Behaviour: Why Discussing the Involvement of ‘Civil Society’ Does not Solve the EU's Democratic Deficit

Abstract

How much can civil society participation actually contribute to the EU's democratic legitimation? This article examines this question in order to assess whether the current debate possesses the potential to cure the EU's alleged ‘democratic deficit’. It rests on the assumption that democratic legitimation through civil society requires the participation of civil society to meet democratic standards themselves. The analysis treats a normative and an empirical aspect of the subject. Firstly, it focuses on the European Commission's White Paper on European Governance, and examines its requirements for civil society participation in the light of the concepts of associative and deliberative democracy. However, requirements for democratic civil society participation can also be developed by civil society itself. Therefore, secondly, the potential of the community of European interest representatives for the creation of a European civil society will be assessed, on the basis of original empirical data.