The European Union: A Polity of States and Peoples
The seminar will deal with the European Union seen from a viewpoint of democratic legitimacy (therefore not with the success stories related to the internal market). Apart from a general description of the EU’s pillars and its institutions, the growing enlargement and
enhanced cooperation between the Member States, the following subjects will be dealt with: European Identity and Unity; The Union, an emerging State?; Separation and allocation of powers, horizontally and vertically; Political accountability of the European Executive towards
Parliament; The rule of law and the concept of Rechtsstaat; Judicial activism: the role of the Community and national courts; Respect for basic rights, proportionality and subsidiarity; Good governance; Social Justice and the Welfare State; Open governmuent, public opinion
and civil society; The draft European Constitution and Constitutionalism; Which form of government for the Union?