Het Europees parlement als transnationale volksvertegenwoordiging
PhD ceremony: | mr. M. (Michiel) Duchateau |
When: | January 23, 2014 |
Start: | 16:15 |
Supervisors: | prof. dr. D.J. Elzinga, prof. mr. H.G. (Gerhard) Hoogers |
Co-supervisor: | prof. mr. H.G. (Gerhard) Hoogers |
Where: | Academy building RUG |
Faculty: | Law |
Central to this dissertation is the question in the name of whom
the European Parliament legitimizes the Union. A European people
still doesn’t seem to exist. Instead, the EU Treaties talk
about representation of the citizens of the Union. These terms
aren’t very clear about the democratic relationship between
citizens and the EU. The dissertation examines the democratic
relationship between the citizens, the peoples of the Member States
and the EU.
A comparison with American and German (con)federalism and the
historical debates about this shows we can learn a lot from those
countries. For example: democracy and (con)federalism are difficult
to apply in one system. And: many aspects of the EU may be less new
than is often assumed. The dissertation ultimately sees the
Parliament as a confederal parliament. Its members are
representatives of their own people, whose task it is to serve the
general interest of their own Member State, without asking any of
them to make crucial. However, as European elections still do not
determine the policy agenda of the EU, the EP can only legitimate
the EU to a limited extent.