Agonistic Democracy and Hard Eurosceptics: Towards a European Democracy?

James Dunne (Central European University) explores the issues related to European democracy, the arguments raised against its system and the implications brought about by the presence of Eurosceptic parties at the supranational level.

In this article, James Dunne focuses on how Eurosceptic parties can potentially improve the relationship between the European Union and its citizens. To this end, he considers the concept of democracy in its contestational dimension, insofar as it should allow for productive public debate. Through his observations, he argues that the rise of a bloc critical of the EU does not constitute a threat to its existence, but on the contrary helps to reduce its democratic deficit by increasing its visibility to the public.