ABSTRACT
The present empirical research is distinguished in two parts. The first part presents original research, namely interviews of EU policy-makers actively involved in Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The main objective of interviewing has been to inspect whether the official makers of CSDP are willing to engage EU citizenry in the design of EU security and defence. The second part of the empirical research focalises on a qualitative comparative analysis of Eurobarometer Reports, concentrating on issues of trust in EU institutions and EU democracy, on whether EU citizens are adequately 38informed about EU affairs, and on whether they prefer their problems to be solved at the European rather than national level. Selection in qualitative research acquires a meaning different than in quantitative analysis. As the researcher aims at descriptive inference and not quantitative causation, the sample selection is not only methodologically legitimate but often imperative to collect information-rich data.
