The Future of Democracy in Europe : Trends, Analyses and Reforms

Padziļināta analīze 15-12-2008

This paper is a short version of a “Green Paper” that the author wrote for the Council of Europe, with Alexandre Trechsel. It includes a theoretical introduction which lays out the contemporary dilemmas of “Western-Liberal- Representative Democracy” and the trends that are affecting it. While the focus is on the national level, much of the analysis applies even more strongly to the EU level. Among the 29 recommendations for reform in the Green Paper the author inserts a detailed treatment of those specific reforms that he believes should be of greatest concern to the European Union. He pays special attention to the matter of EU “referendums and initiatives”.