Publication

This paper examines the impact of the EU's 2007 Lisbon Treaty reforms on the EU Council Presidency and its ability to link the EU closer to its citizens, applying the concept of second-order legitimacy. The paper reviews legitimacy in the EU, identifies characteristics of the rotating Council Presidency and assesses proposals for its reform. Subsequently, the paper finds options for improvements without institutional reform. The paper argues that due to the lack of direct links between the Council and the European citizenry, the ability of the Council and the Council Presidency to bridge the EU-citizens gap is clearly limited.