Positive Analysis of the "Democratic" Governance in the European Integration

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The problem of "democratic" governance is, since the difficult ratification process of Maastricht Treaty, of crucial importance to the European integration. Our research aimed at analysing the highly complex process of the European integration, particularly with regard to this problematic aspect. We tried to assemble an interdisciplinary team of specialists both in legal and political sciences.We adopted a two-level approach to the subject. On the one hand, we tried to illustrate the complex interaction between European and national levels. On the other hand, we tried to analyse European impact on national laws and politics, especially in the context of arrangement of different policy-making processes as well as in its implementation processes. Such positive analyses clarify why the problem of "democratic" governance has assumed considerable importance in actual constitutional debate.French and Dutch referenda in 2005 have also shown the paramount importance of the problem of "democratic" governance. But there is not always any consensus on these elementary questions : by what criteria should we judge an European institution to be "democratic", or how can we make European institutions more "democratic"? We tried to bring new light upon the subject analysing the constitutional treaty and French debate.We have published our research results under the featured theme "Democratic Governance of European Integration" in a recently published number of the Journal of Social Science (Vol.57, No.2).