The Democratisation of the European Union

Introduction 9

Solving the EU Conundrum 9
Beyond the Westphalian System of International Relations 10
Act of Abjuration 11
A New Era in Political History 11
Towards a New Vocabulary 13
Spinelli and Huizinga: Divergent Godfathers of European Integration 15
Curbing Absolute Sovereignty 15
The Kantian Dilemma of Statehood and International Law 16
The Conference on the Future of Europe 17
From Union of Democratic States… 19
…to Democratic Regional Organisation 20
Messages of Hope 22
EU: Association of States or European Democracy? 23
In Memory of Thomas Mann 25
The Democratic Deficit and the Original Sin of the European Union 26
A New Kind of International Organisation 28
Europe and Democracy 28
The Delors Enigma 31
What Is the European Union? 32
BREXIT 34
The Conference on the Future of Europe 35
Replacing the Westphalian System 37
The Theory of Democratic Integration 39
A Citizens’ Story of Europe 42
The European Model of Transnational Governance 50
Conceptual Suggestions 51
Conclusion 58
ECJ President Rings Alarm Bells over Rule of Law 61
What Is the EU? 61
As Old as Methuselah 62
A New Kind of International Organisation 62
Replacing the Westphalian System 63
Institutional Backing 64
The Legal Identity of the European Union 65
The Core of the Treaties 65
What Is the European Union? 66
Neither State Nor Union of States 67
Terra Incognita 69
Democracy and the Rule of Law 70
Why Bother? 71
Conclusion 73
EU Court of Justice Closes Democratic Deficit 75
Democratic Visions 75
The Westphalian System of International Relations 76
The Citizens’ Perspective 77
The Return to Westphalia 77
The Core of the Conditionality Verdicts 78
Conclusion 79
The Dutch Detour: The Steep Road from Maastricht to Amsterdam 81
Europe 1992 81
Changes of Direction 83
The Copenhagen Criteria 84
The Treaty of Amsterdam 85
Towards a New Model of Transnational Governance 87
Amsterdam as Cradle of European Democracy 89
The Democratisation of the European Union 91
The Nature of the Beast 92
The Conditionality Mechanism Verdicts of 16 February 2022 93
The Westphalian System of International Relations 95
The Council of Europe as a Union of States 96
Stages towards Ever Closer Union 97
The Theory of Democratic Integration 107
Exploring the Terra Incognita 109
Upgrading EU Citizenship Education 111
In Limbo 111
European Democracy 112
Democratic Citizenship Education 112
Conclusion 113
Emulating the Westphalian System 115
Revolutionary Breakthrough 115
European Democracy 116
Beyond Westphalia 116
World Peace 117
Why the EU Is Not an Empire 119
The Originality of the EU as a Regional Democracy
of States and Citizens 123
The Nature of the Beast 123
The Conditionality Mechanism Verdicts of 16 February 2022 125
The Westphalian System of International Relations 126
Beyond Westphalia 128
The Theory of Democratic Integration 129
Implications for Foreign Affairs and Global Governance 131
The Identification of the EU as a New Kind of International Organisation 135
Neither State…. 135
…nor Union of States 136
Absolute Sovereignty Destroys Absolutely 136
Changing Paradigms 137
The Novelty of the EU 137
A Union of States and Citizens 138
A Bird’s Eye View 139
A Democratic International Organisation 139
Practical Suggestions 140
Conclusion 141
A New Vocabulary for a New EU Convention 143
What Type of Democracy? 143
Ever Closer Union 144
Beyond the Conundrum 144
Preparing for the 2024 Elections for the European Parliament 145
A New Vocabulary for the Union 146

Concise Bibliography 149
Author Information 153
Endnotes 155