Suchergebnisse

Recent European Union conventions, treaties, & declarations (eg, the 2000 Treaty of Nice, the 2001 Declaration of Laeken, & plenary sessions) deal with issues ranging from the European Convention, the drafting of a European constitution, & the accession of the new European Union member states in May 2004. A chronology is provided, as well as a schema of European governance (the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Council of Ministers, European defense, foreign affairs, & the European Commission). A. Siegel

After the unification of Italy, laws were passed establishing the uniformity of local institutions over the whole national territory. In pre-Nazi Germany, on the contrary, those institutions were regulated by norms that allowed -- in accordance with the will of the citizens -- a great variety of forms of government. Another difference between the two cases lies in the important role given in Germany to the burgomaster: a personality with great technical abilities & political balance. The Italian communes were instead governed along factional or party lines, & this necessitated strong forms of control on the part of the central government. The two cases are therefore embodiments of two different traditions: the unitary & centralist one, in Italy, & the federal & autonomist one, in Germany. The differences came near to disappearing only during the authoritarian regimes, which saw the end, in both countries, of local autonomy & the dominance, in municipal government, of party personalities appointed by the center. Adapted from the source document.

Issues related to "post-national democracy" are most clearly delineated in the context of a politically & economically integrating Europe. Post-national democracy in Europe should be conceptualized as an ongoing evolutionary process of democratization, with institutional arrangements being the contested focal point of that process. The absence of a demos will not stop the demands for greater citizen involvement in the governance of the European Union, an involvement which would increase the EU's legitimacy. The EU's lack of a common political community, however, will prevent it from developing a traditional government. The EU therefore will be characterized by governance without the kind of government found in national democracies. Nonetheless, an original executive institution will be constructed. The executive of the future will carry out many (but not all) of the key functions of an executive without, however, benefiting from the kind of legitimacy that national government executives enjoy. In institutional terms, the character of the executive will render European post-national democracy distinctive, & the electoral link between the citizenry & that executive will be the most contested issue as democratization proceeds. Institutional originality & innovation are likely, therefore, to continue to characterize the process of European integration. 106 References. Adapted from the source document.