Los mecanismos de intervención directa de la sociedad civil en los procesos politicos de la Unión Europea. Una aproximación comparada

Zusammenfassung

The main objective of this work is to explain the functioning of the mechanisms of participatory democracy in the European Union, exposing the similarities and differences of their regulation regarding the related figures contemplated in the national systems. Particularly, its Member States, as the closest political reference points, with which a bidirectional influence in terms of its configuration can be appreciated. The research shows that at Community level, these instruments have very mixed results. The most identifiable formulas from the classical constitutionalism, the right of petition and the citizens' initiative, whose configuration at European level is also peculiar, have little impact on the European political process, like what happens in the national systems. However, the practice of the lobby benefits from an articulation that barely allows to control its influence, which makes it the main entry point for individual interests in European policies. The main conclusion is that in the European Union these instruments present an elitist drift that, at the end, drives away the decision-making process from society instead of bringing it closer.