Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Encyclopedia of Civil Society pp 332–338Cite as

Civil Society and the European Union

  • Reference work entry

  • 217 Accesses

Introduction

Research on civil society and the European Union (EU) has become a growth industry and it reflects both a growing presence of organized civil society in EU affairs and rising expectations in the democratic virtues  of a European civil society. From the very beginning, a core question has been, if civil society can enhance the democratic quality of the EU. In spite of this common interest, the concept of civil society is highly ambiguous, which makes it difficult to put the different strands of thinking together. Scholars are attached to their own research agenda and those who are primarily interested in the constitutionalization of the EU (Fossum & Trenz, 2006) will take a different stance from those who take up the issue of  relocation of social activism (Ruzza, 2004) and those who want to know how the involvement of organized civil society in EU governance affects the democratic legitimacy of the Union (Greenwood, 2007; Kohler-Koch, 2007). This article will try to make...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   1,100.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   1,099.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References/Further Readings

  • Balme, R., & Chabanet, D. (2002). Introduction. Action collective et gouvernance de l'Union européenne. In R. Balme, D. Chabaner, & V. Wright (Eds.), L'action collective en Europe/collective action in Europe (pp. 21–120). Paris: Presses de Sciences Po.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, M. (2002). Limitations to agency control in European Union policy-making: The commission and the poverty programmes. Journal of Common Market Studies, 40(3), 381–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Börzel, T. (2009). After accession: Escaping the low capacity trap? In T. Börzel (Ed.), Coping with accession to the European Union. New modes of environmental governance in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe (pp. 264–290). London: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bozzini, E. (2007). Why to get involved in Brussels? A cross-sectoral and cross national comparison of the involvement of civil society organisation in EU policy processes, CINEFOGO Mid Term Conference, Roskilde (Dk), 1–3 June 2007, from http://cinefogo.cuni.cz/index.php?&id_result=20036&l= 0&w=15&id_out=82; 02/19/2009

  • Commission. (2001). European governance – A white paper. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities, COM (2001) 428 final, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2001/com2001_0428en01.pdf; 02/19/2009

  • Cram, L. (2006). Inventing the people: Civil society participation and the enhabitation of the EU. In S. Smismans (Ed.), Civil society and legitimate European governance (pp. 241–259). Edward Elgar: Cheltenham.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dabrowska, P. (2007). Civil society involvement in the EU regulations on GMOs: From the design of a participatory garden to growing trees of European public debate? Journal of Civil Society, 3(3), 287–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Bièvre, D. (2008). Assessing interest group politics in EU governance. In B. Kohler-Koch, D. De Bièvre, & M. Maloney (Eds.), Opening EU-governance to civil society. Gains and challenges (pp. 1–8). Mannheim: CONNEX Report Series Nr. 5. From http://www.mzes.unimannheim.de/pjojekte/typo3/site/fileadmin/BookSeries/Volume_Five/Introduction_I_DDB.pdf

  • Della Sala, V., & Ruzza, C. (Eds.) (2007). Governance and civil society in the European Union: Exploring policy issues (Vol. 2). Manchester: Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, E. O., & Fossum, J. E. (Eds.) (2000). Democracy in the European Union: Integration through deliberation. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fazi, E., & Smith, J. (2006). Civil dialogue: making it work better. Study commissioned by the Civil Society Contact Group. From http://act4europe.horus.be/module/FileLib/Civil%20dialogue%2C%20making%20it%20work%20better.pdf; 19/02/2009

  • Finke, B. (2007). Civil society participation in EU governance. Living reviews in European governance. From http://www.livingreviews.org/lreg-2007–2; 19/02/2009

  • Fossum, J. E., & Trenz, H. J. (2006). The EU's fledging society: From deafening silence to critical voice in European constitution-making. Journal of Civil Society, 2(1), 57–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood, J. (2007). Organized civil society and democratic legitimacy in the European Union. British Journal of Political Science, 37(2), 333–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Imig, D., & Tarrow, S. (2001). Contentious Europeans: Protest and politics in an emerging polity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hüller, T. (2008). Demokratisierung der EU durch Online Konsultationen? Forschungsjournal Neue Soziale Bewegungen, 21(2), 73–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler-Koch, B. (2007). The organization of interests and democracy in the European Union. In B. Kohler-Koch & B. Rittberger (Eds.), Debating the democratic legitimacy of the European Union (pp. 255-271). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler-Koch, B. (2009). The three worlds of European civil society. Policy and Society, 28(1), 47–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler-Koch, B., & Finke, B. (2007). The institutional shaping of EU-society relations: A contribution to democracy via participation? Journal of Civil Society, 3(3), 205–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohler-Koch, B. et al. (Eds.) (2008). Opening EU-governance to civil society. Gains and challenges. Mannheim: CONNEX Report Series Nr. 5. http://www.mzes.unimannheim.de/pjojekte/typo3/site/fileadmin/BookSeries/Volume_Five/CONNEX%20Report%20Series_Book%205.pdf

  • Kohler-Koch, B., & Quittkat, C. (2009). What is civil society and who represents civil society in the EU? – Results of an online survey among civil society experts. Policy and Society, 28(1), 11–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kröger, S. (2008). Nothing but consultation: The place of civil society in EU policy-making across policies. European governance papers (EUROGOV) No. C-08-03. From http://www.connex-network.org/eurogov/pdf/egp-connex-C-08-03.pdf; 02/19/2009

  • Maloney, W., & van Deth, J. (Eds.) (2008). Civil society and governance in Europe: From national toward international linkages? Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruzza, C. (2004). Europe and civil society. Movement coalitions and European governance. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruzza, C., & Della Sala, V. (Eds.) (2007). Governance and civil society in the European Union: Normative Perspectives (Vol. 1). Manchester: Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabel, C., & Zeitlin, J. (2008). Learning from difference: The new architecture of experimentalist governance in the EU. European Law Journal, 14(3), 271–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saurugger, S. (2007). Differential impact: Europeanising French non-state actors. Journal of European Public Policy, 14(7), 1079–1097.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smismans, S. (2006). Civil society and legitimate European governance. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffek, J. et al. (Eds.) (2007). Civil society participation in European and global governance: A cure for the democratic deficit? London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Social Platform. (2006). Communication: selling Europe or opening Europe? – Response of the platform of European Social NGOs to the White Paper on a European Communication Policy. Platform of European Social NGO's. From http://www.socialplatform.org/module/FileLib/EN-ResponseWhitePaperonCommunication.pdf; 02/19/2009

  • Trenz, H. J. (2009). European civil society: Between participation, representation and discourse. Policy and Society, 28(1), 35–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Deth, J. (2008). European civil society: The empirical reality in the multi-level system of the EU. In B. Kohler-Koch, D. De Bièvre, & W. Maloney (Eds.), Opening EU-governance to civil society – Gains and challenges (pp. 326–348). Mannheim: CONNEX Report Series Nr. 5. From http://www.mzes.unimannheim.de/pjojekte/typo3/site/fileadmin/BookSeries/Volume_Five/Chapter14_van%20Deth.pdf

  • Warleigh, A. (2001). Europeanizing civil society: NGOs as agents of political socialization. Journal of Common Market Studies, 39(40), 619–639.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Mannheim, Mannheimer Zentrum für Europäische Sozialforschung (MZES) D-68131, Mannheim, Germany

    Beate Kohler-Koch

Authors
  1. Beate Kohler-Koch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  2. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany

    Helmut K. Anheier

  3. George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA

    Stefan Toepler

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Kohler-Koch, B. (2010). Civil Society and the European Union. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_155

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_155

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-93994-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-93996-4

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation