مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - THE LEGITIMACY CRISIS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract :

Legitimacy, though considered as a phenomenon of the political science, has nowadays become a means of explanation resorted by many disciplines due to its meaning and its questioning through subjects/actors. On the other hand, the higher frequency of the legitimacy as a concept compels its thorough definition more. Legitimacy, traditionally conceptualized with rule of law, sovereignty, government and consent, has been a subjective perception more than measurable or concrete reality. Therefore there has been enormous amount of discussions on its definition which paved the path for a remarkable scholarly accumulation on the subject. The subject of legitimacy in the discipline of International Relations (IR) has appeared with the discussions on the legitimacy of the EU parliament in particular and the EU in general within the post-Cold War era. This study deals with the democratic deficit in the EU aiming to establish political integration after the Maastricht Treaty, the related legitimacy crisis and the prospective solutions. European Constitution has been the center of institutional solutions through the analogy of international organizations with the national-level institutionalization while Constructivism has been the center for the socio-cultural solutions. Referring to institutional solutions often has been criticized while the need for socio-cultural reforms is underlined. Thus, Constructivism needs further attention to evaluate such dynamics of European identity/public opinion/citizenship.