Law, Legitimacy, and European Governance

"This volume examines the role of law in increasing the legitimacy of European decision-making by structuring the facilitating diverse forms of participation, representation, and deliberation whilst ensuring transparency and accountability. The democratic deficit and the legitimacy of the European Union have attracted the attention of both lawyers and political scientists, but few have examined normatively the role of interest groups or of functional participation in European governance. This book examines institutional settings, such as committees, agencies, and social dialogue within which such participation occurs. Moving beyond generalities, about the importance of civil society involvement in European governance, the author provides a detailed account of functional participation in social regulation, relying on an empirical case study of Community occupational health and safety policy."--BOOK JACKET.