Political representation in the European Union From IVR
encyclopedie The issue of political representation within the
European Union raises important questions for political and
legal theory. The current conceptualisation of political
representation has been framed in the context of the nation-
state. What are the conceptual tools to address the question of
political representation in a supranational polity that is
neither a mere international organisation nor a nation-state?
What are the normative criteria to conceptualise the legitimacy
of law-making processes beyond the nation-state? The question of
political representation was already posed at the outset of the
process of European integration, and it has routinely returned
to the top of the agenda each time integration has advanced
further. Despite the dynamism of this debate amongst decision-
makers and politicians, the scholarly debate amongst political
and legal theorists has gained momentum only recently and their
reflections have been voiced mainly pos