ABSTRACT
This chapter contributes to unravelling the puzzle of how civil society relates to the legitimacy and contributes to the legitimation of the European Union. The objective of the chapter is to gauge the role of trade unions and employer associations both at EU and national levels and the emerging transnationalization of civil society through increasing communication and cooperation amongst EU and national-level organizations. The chapter explores the potential of civil society to contribute to the legitimation of the emerging European polity, and to compare between actors engaged in civic and social dialogue. It concentrates on employer associations, trade unions and lobby organizations which form an important part of civil society most likely to be involved in legitimizing the EU economic and social model. The chapter first reviews the state of the art of the literature on EU legitimacy and civil society, and develops the theoretical model a three-dimensional conception of legitimacy and the analytical framework.
