Simon Hix on The State of European Democracy After Lisbon

Transcript Powerpoint

Comments 1-2 of 2

judith ginsburg says: 02 Jun 2010 2:56

Cheers Simon! Very interesting and excellent presentation. Judith

Horst Siedschlag says: 28 May 2010 16:32

Overall,I think Prof. Hix's asssessment of the current status of the EU's democratic legitimacy was well founded and I would fully share his suggested approach that EU citizens and "grass root" organisations should focus on engaging with the national parliamentarians to provide "traction" with the somewhat cumbersome EU decision-making process. However, I have my doubts about his comparison between Brussels and Washington with regard to different degrees of transparency in decision-making between the US and the EU (much to the disadvantage of the latter). Would a more US-style organisation of EU governance not require a more "federal" approach, including more transfer of souvereignty from member States, which would be contrary to the main conclusion by Prof. Hix?

About this Event

26 May 2010 @ 12:45

Download the audio podcast of this event here

About the Speaker:

Professor Simon Hix is Director of the Political Science and Political Economy Group at the LSE and the co-editor of the journal European Union Politics. He has written several books on EU and comparative politics, including most recently What's Wrong With the EU and How to Fix It (2008) and Democratic Politics in the European Parliament (2007).

A leading expert on European Union politics and policy, Professor Hix has held visiting appointments at several top universities, including Stanford, Berkeley, UC San Diego, Sciences-Po in Paris, the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, the College of Europe in Bruges, and the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy in Seoul. He has extensive consultancy experience, including for the UK Cabinet Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Policy Centre, and the Asian Development Bank.

About the Event:

The issue of the democratic legitimacy of the European Union has been prominent in national debates across Europe in recent years. The Lisbon Treaty contains many apparent remedies to the EU’s "democratic deficit", including a strengthened European Parliament, a new citizens’ initiative, and a bigger role for national parliaments in legislative scrutiny.

Professor Hix analysed the prospects for these measures and also addressed the broader issue of what can be done to make the EU a more vibrant and democratic political space.

Views: 1209