Lisbon Treaty and the Possibility of a European Network Demoi-cracy

Abstract

The paper discusses the Early Warning Mechanism (EWM) to be introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, the incentives of the national parliaments to use it and the limited opportunity it opens for bringing Europe closer to its citizens. It is suggested that the EWM provides Europe with a chance to develop a transnational network of public spheres and to become a demoi-cracy. Regardless of the success of the EWM as an institutional means to bring to that end, the author argues that the creation of a network democracy (post-national instead of supra-national democracy) is the only available road for democratisation of the EU anyway, because only it does not depend on forged common identity or solidarity. In doing this, the paper draws from the earlier books of Habermas and argues with his own latter writings.