Parlamenti nazionali, legittimazione democratica e democrazia rappresentativa nell’Unione Europea

National Parliaments, democratic legitimization and representative democracy in the European Union

Abstract

This article analyses of the role of National Parliaments (NPs) within the European Union in relation to the concept of democratic legitimacy and the principle of representative democracy. It first highlights the inadequate historical and theoretical contextualisation of such role compared to the abundance of empirical analyses. In embracing democratic disco nnect as a concept that describes the role of NPs , the article draws the consequences of it, stressing the relationship between democratic disconnect and the concept of (democratic) legitimacy as throughput legitimacy. It then asserts that democratic reconnect and throughput legitimacy relate to governance , i.e. to the participation in the broader deliberative process; yet , they keep NPs outside the scope of government , i.e. the substantive participation in decision making. Taking a critical stance on the current European role of NPs , the article concludes by identifying possible paths to increase legitimacy of the Union, and the role of NPs in it. 

Keywords: National Parliaments; European Union; Democratic deficit; Legitimacy; Representative democracy.