Legitimating the Union: Dilemmas of Citizens’ and National Elites’ Inclusion in a Multilevel Europe

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Abstract: It is often claimed that the EU suffers from a range of, occasionally, difficult-to-identify legitimacy problems. This is mainly because of its complex internal structure and way of functioning – i.e. between various levels of governance and centres of decision-making authority. This paper focuses on the role of citizens and national elites in granting support for the EU. The
bottom-up approaches of legitimisation are thus explored. Special attention is paid to the participatory opportunities for citizens and national elites in multilevel governance.