Constituent Power in the European Union

The euro crisis, rising Euroscepticism, and Brexit have highlighted the European Union's unresolved legitimacy deficit. This book seeks to develop a new approach to EU legitimacy by reorienting the debate from the question of how the supranational polity should ideally be organized to the question of who is entitled to make that decision and how. It reformulates the classical notion of constituent power for the context of European integration and challenges conventional theoretical assumptions regarding the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 03 December 2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The euro crisis, growing Euroscepticism, and Brexit have once again brought to the forefront the unresolved legitimacy deficit of the European Union. Increasingly, citizens assert that they have been unfairly excluded from decisions shaping the future of European integration. Movements like DiEM25 challenge the authority of states as the ultimate masters of treaties. Simultaneously, the debate within political theory about the EU has become increasingly academic, focusing on the development and refinement of abstract models of democratic constitutionalism that often lack a strong connection to real-world politics.

This book aims to develop a fresh perspective on EU legitimacy by shifting the focus of the debate from the ideal organization of the supranational polity to the question of who has the right to make such decisions and how. In pursuit of this goal, it reimagines the classical concept of constituent power within the context of European integration. This account challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy and empowers political theory to test the claims of those who challenge the established mode of EU constitutional politics.

The euro crisis, rising Euroscepticism, and Brexit have underscored the European Union's enduring legitimacy challenge. Citizens increasingly assert that they have been unjustly excluded from decisions shaping the future of European integration. Movements like DiEM25 question the authority of states as the ultimate treaty masters. Simultaneously, the political theory discourse on the EU has become increasingly academic, devoting considerable attention to the development and refinement of abstract models of democratic constitutionalism that often fail to connect with real-world politics.

In response to this pressing need, this book seeks to develop a novel approach to EU legitimacy by redirecting the debate from the ideal organization of the supranational polity to the question of who has the authority to make such decisions and how. To achieve this, it reimagines the classical concept of constituent power within the context of European integration. This account challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy and empowers political theory to evaluate the claims of those who challenge the established mode of EU constitutional politics.

The euro crisis, escalating Euroscepticism, and Brexit have underscored the European Union's persistent legitimacy deficit. Citizens increasingly assert that they have been unfairly excluded from decisions shaping the future of European integration. Movements like DiEM25 challenge the authority of states as the ultimate treaty masters. Simultaneously, the political theory discourse on the EU has become increasingly academic, dedicating substantial attention to the development and refinement of abstract models of democratic constitutionalism that often fail to connect with real-world politics.

In response to this urgent need, this book aims to develop a novel approach to EU legitimacy by shifting the focus of the debate from the ideal organization of the supranational polity to the question of who has the right to make such decisions and how. To achieve this, it reimagines the classical concept of constituent power within the context of European integration. This account challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy and empowers political theory to evaluate the claims of those who challenge the established mode of EU constitutional politics.

The euro crisis, growing Euroscepticism, and Brexit have underscored the European Union's enduring legitimacy challenge. Citizens increasingly assert that they have been unfairly excluded from decisions shaping the future of European integration. Movements like DiEM25 question the authority

The authority of states as the ultimate treaty masters. Simultaneously, the political theory discourse on the EU has become increasingly academic, dedicating substantial attention to the development and refinement of abstract models of democratic constitutionalism that often fail to connect with real-world politics.

In response to this urgent need, this book aims to develop a novel approach to EU legitimacy by shifting the focus of the debate from the ideal organization of the supranational polity to the question of who has the authority to make such decisions and how. To achieve this, it reimagines the classical concept of constituent power within the context of European integration. This account challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy and empowers political theory to evaluate the claims of those who challenge the established mode of EU constitutional politics.

The euro crisis, escalating Euroscepticism, and Brexit have underscored the European Union's persistent legitimacy deficit. Citizens increasingly assert that they have been unfairly excluded from decisions shaping the future of European integration. Movements like DiEM25 challenge the authority of states as the ultimate treaty masters. Simultaneously, the political theory discourse on the EU has become increasingly academic, dedicating substantial attention to the development and refinement of abstract models of democratic constitutionalism that often fail to connect with real-world politics.

In response to this urgent need, this book aims to develop a novel approach to EU legitimacy by shifting the focus of the debate from the ideal organization of the supranational polity to the question of who has the authority to make such decisions and how. To achieve this, it reimagines the classical concept of constituent power within the context of European integration. This account challenges prevailing theoretical assumptions about the EU's ultimate source of legitimacy and empowers political theory to evaluate the claims of those who challenge the established mode of EU constitutional politics.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 165 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198845218