Technocracy and Democracy in the EU

Abstract

In the long debate about the democratic quality of the European Union (or lack of it), technocracy has been often evoked as the antagonist of democracy in the European polity. This debate has indeed contributed to a better understanding of the problems and limitations of the democratic processes in a multi-level polity. The technocratic side of the EU has however not been sufficiently explored. Which are the technocratic bodies of the Union, how they function, which are their resources, from where they derive their authority and, even more important, which are the ideas and goals which guide them, are aspects that deserve a closer examination. Among these bodies, the European Central Bank obviously occupies a central position, but the technocratic component of the Commission and the European Court of Justice should also be considered. Of special interest is how these institutions have behaved during the crisis years when they have sometimes conflicted with the democratic authorities of the EU over the actions to be taken to preserve the Union. Papers dealing both with the theoretical problems of the European governance and with the empirical analysis of the technocratic bodies of the EU are welcome.