The EU debt crisis has clearly shown that the monetary union cannot be upheld without coordinated fiscal and economic policies. But many citizens are under the impression that their voices, and those of their national parliaments, are being sidelined in favour of ever-greater centralisation – and that, in the process, democracy is being eroded. Thus the debt crisis may easily trigger a crisis of EU legitimacy.
It is against this background that the Heinrich Böll Foundation commissioned a study on the future of European democracy. In it, constitutional experts Ulrich K. Preuß and Claudio Franzius highlight how Europe may achieve a vibrant democracy. It will require political spaces and institutions that enable controversial debate about European issues and that give citizens the chance to participate in political decisions.

Publication series on Europe – Volume 7:
The Future of European Democracy
By Claudio Franzius and Ulrich K. Preuß
Commissioned and edited by the Heinrich Böll Foundation 2012
Berlin, November 2012, 76 pages, ISBN 978-3-86928-95-0

This publication can be ordered from: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin, Tel. 030-285340, Fax: 030-28534109, E-mail: buchversand@boell.de

The Future of European Democracy
Editor	Heinrich Böll Foundation
Place of publication	Berlin
Date of publication	December 2012
Pages	76
ISBN	978-3-86928-95-0
Service charge	Free of charge