The Legitimacy Problems of the EUhomes.ieu.edu.tr/aburgin/IREU 411 European Union Politics/Session...
Transcript of The Legitimacy Problems of the EUhomes.ieu.edu.tr/aburgin/IREU 411 European Union Politics/Session...
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Asst. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
The Legitimacy Problems of the EU
Summary for
IREU 411
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Ass. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
The Legitimacy Problems of the EU
1. Theories of the Social Bases of Politics
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Ass. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
Easton's theory explains how
support for institutions change
● Affective support: non-material attachment to
a political institution – provides a basic level of
support independent of results
● Utilitarian support: economic or political cost-
benefit analysis
● These two types of support are not
contradictory but related: Cost-benefit
calculations determine whether the underlying
level of support goes up or down over time
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Ass. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
The Legitimacy Problems of the EU
2. Public Support for the European Union: End of
the Permissive Consensus
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Ass. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
The permissive consensus in favour
of integration disappeared
● In the beginning of the integration process there
was a favourable prevailing attitude toward
European integration
● Widespread opposition to the EU emerged
during ratification process of Maastricht treaty
● Anti-European parties successful in European
elections
● Reasons: Deeper integration creates winners
and losers, Eastern enlargement, loss of
national sovereignty
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Ass. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bürgin IUE
Between 1991 and 2003 support fell
dramatically in the founding MS
● More than 20% Minus in Germany, France, Italy
● Less support in all MS but Sweden
● Huge differences among MS at the start of the
integration process
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There are plenty motives for the
rejection of the CT and LT● Cost-benefit calculation: Low skilled workers fear competition in
the European market
● Political ideology
● Leftist argument: dissatisfaction with liberalisation
● Rightist argument: erosion national sovereignty
● Lack of information about content of CT/LT
● Lack of political leadership of governments
● No clear vision for the future of the EU
● Lukewarm European commitment
● Perception of a Democratic Deficit of the EU
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The Legitimacy Problems of the EU
3. Sources and dimensions of
legitimate governance
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The Legitimacy Problems of the
EU
3a. Social-legitimacy
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Social legitimacy as precondition of
governance
● The principle of popular sovereignty
presuppose that the question of who
constitutes the people has been settled to
mutual agreement
● Majority decision making requires sufficient
trust between citizens to accept that being
outvoted does not constitute a threat to their
essential interests
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How much „we-feeling“ is
necessary for the EU? (1)
● Neofunctionalists: transnational political
identities could spill over from one elite to
another before embracing a wider public
● Haas 1958: organised political actors would be
gradually persuaded to shift their localities and
expectations towards a new centre
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How much “we-feeling” is
necessary for the EU? (2)
● Intergovernmentalists: assume that political
identities would and should remain national
● Moravcsik: preferences continue to be formed at
the national level
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How much we-feeling is necessary
for the EU (3)
● Federalists: European identity exists because of common historical stages of society
● Christianity, Renaissance, Enlightenment, industrialisation
● Common founding goal of the EU: avoid repetition of war
● Common enterprise: ever closer union as concept to master the globalisation
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Assessment: EU does not need the same strong
identity as on nation state level
● non-state political system
● No monopoly of violence
● No right to dig deep into the taxpayers pocket
● But „thin” European identity is needed
● European public forum of shared
communication
● Acceptance of majority decisions
● Performance can create stronger common
identity
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Empirical analysis: Does an
European identity exist?
● Many citizens have more than 1 identity
● Multiple identities tend to be cumulative rather than
contradictory
● Trust to other nationalities has grown from 1.55 to 1.75 (scale 0-3) between 1976-90, compared to a steady level of 2.25 between members of the same national community (Eurobarometer)
● Existence of European identity differs between the member states
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Perception of European identity shapes the
proposals for appropriate EU governance
● Strong European identity – far reaching
supranational policies possible
● Weak sense of European identity – limited
space for supranational policies
● Solution: combine social legitimacy of national
and supranational level
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The Legitimacy Problems of the
EU
3b. The Input-dimension of legitimacy
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Political power should be authorised and
accountable
● Solution: election by the people of a
political system
● Because of uncertainty about existence
of European people dual political
leadership: unelected Commission and
Council of Ministers accountable to
national parliaments and electorates
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The legitimisation of governance via
Council is problematic
● Meeting in non-transparent manner
● National elections don't deal with European issues
● Problem of QMV: If national governments are not
in a position to veto proposals they cannot be held
accountability to their national parliament
● Role of the Commission: not a technocratic
bureaucracy but quasi-government
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Therefore supranational input-
legitimacy was strengthened
● Appointment function of the EP strengthened:
New Commission has to be confirmed by the
EP
● Legislative function of the EP strengthened
● QMV linked to co-decision
● Final say over the annual budget
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The empowerment of the EP
remains however limited
● No power in important policy areas
● Commission president is not the leader of
the winning coalition in the EP-election
● No right to initiate legislation
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The empowerment of the EP itself
has its limits
● EP-election are still second order in character
and dominated by the national agenda
● Lack of European public debates: citizen is not
aware of policy options
● Trend to grand coalition inside the EP
● Reluctance of elite and mass level to be
governed by simple majoritarian politics
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Input legitimacy remains fragile
● Intergovernmental and supranational
conceptions have their limits
● Perception of Democratic deficit is one reason
for failed referendum about Constitutional Treaty
● Legitimacy via inclusion of organised interests
depends on their representativeness
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
The Legitimacy Problems of the
EU
3c. Output-dimension of legitimacy
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
Output Legitimacy: Better results
than at national level are possible
● Utilitarian justification of EU governance: added
value in comparison to national governance
● EU doctrine of subsidiarity: The Union should only
act where it is better placed than national gvt for
reasons of scale or effect (TEU Art. 3b)
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir University of Economics
EU action justified if added value to
national governance
● Many problems cannot be solved at the national
level
● Pooling and delegation of sovereignty can increase
the power of the national state
● The pubic has clear views on those policy areas
which should be governed at EU
● Problem: Divisions about the right content of
policies
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Ass. Prof Dr. Alexander Bürgin Izmir
University of Economics
Summary: Alternative justifications for
legitimate governance of the EU