ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the question of multilevel governance in the EU through the prism of deliberative democracy theory and its specific application in the mechanism of the European Citizens Initiative (ECI). The main claim is that one of the tools facilitating multilevel governance in the EU can be deliberative democracy put into practice. Arguably, the ECI mechanism could perform such a role, offering a solution to the unity vs diversity dichotomy of multilevel orders. In the first theoretical part, the multilevel nature of the EU is looked at through the question of sovereignty and constituent power. Habermas’ model of pouvoir constituant mixte is argued for as an account, which fits best to the EU as a post-national democracy. The EU’s tension between integration and diversity is discussed and it is concluded that the main challenge stemming from it is the disconnection of the citizens from the law-making centre. It is argued that deliberative democracy through the ECI can serve as a mechanism which helps cope with this issue. In the second part of the chapter, the focus moves to answer the question of why deliberative democracy is a relevant normative framework and how exactly can the ECI be deployed.
