<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>This study focuses on the relation between the Committee of the Regions (CoR), an advisory institution of the European Union defined as the political assembly of holders of a regional or local electoral mandate serving the cause of European integration, and the democratic deficit, understood as the effective ways of citizens’ participation in the institutional decision making. The work hypothesis is that the CoR, in spite of being mostly unknown to citizens, could be an effective tool for tackling the democratic deficit. Through qualitative interviews and surveys at different levels, the article analyzes the current situation and the potential opportunities of the CoR in its relation with citizens.</p></abstract>

This study focuses on the relation between the Committee of the Regions (CoR), an advisory institution of the European Union defined as the political assembly of holders of a regional or local electoral mandate serving the cause of European integration, and the democratic deficit, understood as the effective ways of citizens’ participation in the institutional decision making. The work hypothesis is that the CoR, in spite of being mostly unknown to citizens, could be an effective tool for tackling the democratic deficit. Through qualitative interviews and surveys at different levels, the article analyzes the current situation and the potential opportunities of the CoR in its relation with citizens.

The Committee of the Regions: A Springboard for the Citizens

University of Latvia Raina Bulvaris 19, Riga LV-1050, Latvia

TalTech Journal of European Studies

{"article-title":"The Committee of the Regions: A Springboard for the Citizens"}

This study focuses on the relation between the Committee of the Regions (CoR), an advisory institution of the European Union defined as the political assembly...

The Committee of the Regions: A Springboard for the Citizens

Published Online: Oct 23, 2013

Page range: 38 - 49

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/bjes-2013-0012

This content is open access.