The nature and character of the European Union and the problem of representative democracy

Abstract

After more than three decades of primarily economic expansion, the European Union has entered a much more sensitive phase of its development. It has set off on "a road less travelled" concerning these forms of supranational organization - political integration. The result is in every sense a unique and extraordinary creation, albeit unfinished, unprecedented in the history of international relations, particularly in the area of supranational integration. That is why one of the key issues requiring explanation is whether the functioning of the European Union is really based on representative democracy, and, in this context, whether political parties, as its chief exponent in nation-states, contribute to "the formation of European political awareness and the expression of the will of citizens of the Union" at the European level. If we take into account the existing constitutional order of the European Union and the place of Europarties in it - their role, formal, legal and procedural framework of action not yet clearly defined - it is obvious that they are not able to contribute to "the formation of European political awareness and the expression of the political will of the Union citizens".

Posle više od tri decenije razvoja sa dominantno ekonomskim predznakom, Evropska unija je ušla u mnogo osetljiviju fazu svoga razvoja. Pošla je "putem kojim se ređe ide" u ovakvim oblicima nadnacionalnog organizovanja - putem političke integracije. Rezultat je u svakom smislu jedinstvena i izuzetna ali i nedovršena tvorevina, bez presedana u istoriji međunarodnih odnosa, a posebno u oblasti nadnacionalnog integrisanja. Zato je jedno od najvažnijih pitanja da li je funkcionisanje Evropske unije zaista zasnovano na predstavničkoj demokratiji, i u tom kontekstu, da li političke stranke, kao njen ključni nosilac u nacionalnim državama, na evropskom nivou doprinose "formiranju evropske političke svesti i izražavanju volje građana Unije". Ukoliko imamo u vidu postojeći konstitucionalni poredak Evropske unije i mesto koje u njemu zauzimaju evrostranke - bez jasno utvrđene uloge i formalnopravnog i proceduralnog okvira delovanja - očigledno je da one nisu u stanju da doprinose "formiranju evropske političke svesti i izražavanju volje građana Unije".