Publication

This publication examines the widespread concerns that exist about the democratic legitimacy of EU institutions and the European project in general. In particular, the text’s authors 1) explore how the legitimacy debate fits within the broader context of a global- and national-level “crisis of institutions”; 2) examine the mechanisms through which EU institutions seek to gain democratic legitimacy and how they try to engage the public; 3) place the legitimacy debate within the context of the Brexit and Greek debt crisis; and 4) recommend potential improvements in how the EU operates, even though they may not fully resolve Brussels’ legitimacy and accountability problems.