Conference paper
European Union and its Civil Society: A Neverending Search for Accountability
Hrvoje Butković
; Institute for International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Over the last ten years, while searching for additional sources of democratic
legitimacy, the European Union (EU) has started to focus on its relationship with
civil society. This article summarises the key points of two academic debates that
focus on issues regarding civil society's inclusion in the European governance.
The first part of this article examines the debate that developed in 2001 following
the European Commission’s publication of its White Paper on European Governance.
As a key document for administrative reform of the EU, the White paper
granted civil society a leading role in providing more inclusive and accountable
Union policy making. However, social experts heavily criticized this document
claiming that, in reality, its proposals would not bring European civil society any
closer to the EU governance. The heaviest criticism was targeted at the non-legally
binding nature of the White Paper’s inclusion proposals. The article's second
part examines how the issue of civil society's inclusion has been addressed in the
ongoing European Constitutional debate. Here two principle streams of thought
are highlighted. Advocates call for civil society’s constitutional inclusion, viewing
it as a step forward in making the EU closer to its citizens. Sceptics object to such
inclusion claiming that it would jeopardise civil society's social independence.
Keywords
European Union; European constitutionalism; civil society; governance; participatory democracy; legitimacy; accountability
Hrčak ID:
21147
URI
Publication date:
25.8.2005.
Visits: 1.340 *