The European Parliament and the problem of representation in a loosely bounded system

The debate on the nature of the European Union and the prospective of the European integration, can''t be proficient without a serious institutional reflection. The crisis of the post Westphalian state in Europe, the problems concerning the democratic performance both of the national state and the Eu and the considerations about the role of representation are all linked with the European integration process. One of the main consequences of the integration has been the process of de-differentiation of the functional boundaries of the member states. This situation is responsible for the crisis in the circuit composed by political production, political representation and accountability that is the main feature of our contemporary democracy. The growth in the opportunity of partial exit from national functional boundaries towards a new political centre represent not only a challenge to the modern state as we know it, but also a defiance to the democratic effectiveness. The long debate about the democratic deficit should be interpreted as a main element on the definition of the future institutional asset of the European Union. This'' paper goal its the effort to propose a different interpretation of the European Parliament''s nature, linking is role to the functional boundaries'' crisis in the attempt to understand what is and how strong is the role of representation in the community architecture and if the EP could be considered the element of real democratisation in the European political system.