La democrazia partecipativa alla prova dell’ordinamento comunitario. L’iniziativa legislativa dei cittadini europei

Participatory democracy in the European legal system. The European citizens’ legislative initiative

Abstract

The European citizens’ legislative initiative represents a key innovation introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon: Article 11(4) TEU now provides for an opportunity for EU citizens to interact directly with the Commission. The Author provides for a comprehensive analysis of both the development and the enforcement of this provision, while suggesting some criticism regarding the actual nature and relevance of this initiative. In particular, the paper suggests that the Commission seems rather reluctant to leave room for a proper intervention of citizens in the legislative process, while speculating on the necessary role of these mechanisms in the perceived democratic deficit of EU institutions.

Tag: Citizens’ legislative iniziative, democratic deficit, role of the Commission, legislative process, Constitutional democracy