Publication

This paper examines the concerns that exist over the EU’s democratic legitimacy, along with the European project as a whole. More specifically, the text’s authors 1) review how the legitimacy debate fits within the broader institutional crises that now exist at the national and global levels; 2) explore the mechanisms through which EU institutions seek to gain democratic legitimacy, primarily via public engagement; 3) place the legitimacy debate within the Brexit vote and the fallout from the Greek debt crisis; and 4) recommends options that Brussels might pursue to enhance its democratic credentials.