Debating Europe: Politicisation, Contestation, and Democratisation

Abstract

The Special Issue focuses on how Europe and the European Union are debated, politicised, and contested. A key focus is set on the question of whether and how these debates and politicisations do help to democratise the EU - or not. This rationale is based on the assumption that debate is a key democratic activity, and accordingly, "Debating Europe" is one of the bases for a democratic Europe and a democratic EU. The process of debating enhances the legitimacy of the EU not only as a polity, but also as a policy-making process by regaining citizen’s trust in their ability to use political discussions to influence the policy-making process, including a wide range of policy actors.The special issue relates to the research carried out in the Jean Monnet Network "Debating Europe" (620428-EPP-1-2020-1-DE-EPPJMO-NETWORK), funded by the European Commission in the framework of the Jean Monnet Actions / Erasmus+. The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.