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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RECONNECT (Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and Rule of Law)

Teaser

Summary

RECONNECT is a four-year multidisciplinary research project on â€˜Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and the Rule of Lawâ€™, aimed at understanding and providing solutions to the recent challenges faced by the European Union (EU). With an explicit focus on strengthening the EUâ€™s legitimacy through democracy and the rule of law, RECONNECT seeks to build a new narrative for Europe, enabling the EU to become more attuned to the expectations of its citizens. RECONNECT brings together 18 academic partner institutions from 14 countries.

There is growing distrust towards European institutions, which, especially in the context of recent crises, are seen as unable or unwilling to truly respond to the concerns of EU citizens. This has created a growing gap between the Union and its citizens that has become the target of a new wave of populism, which challenges the EUâ€™s authority and legitimacy. The Union is also confronted with the erosion of the foundations of democracy and the rule of law in some of its Member States, where its core values are called into question. Within this context, RECONNECTâ€™s point of departure is that European governance is (perceived as) legitimate if its core values of democracy and the rule of law embody justice and solidarity. This can be achieved only if EU governance adheres to coherent notions of democracy and the rule of law and ensures that both resonate with the aspirations and preferences of EU citizens.

RECONNECT will focus on the Unionâ€™s constitutive values of democracy and the rule of law. Firstly, it seeks to evaluate the coherence within and between democracy and the rule of law, how they are interpreted and applied across the EU and its Member States, and how potential inconsistencies may affect legitimacy in the EU (principles and practices). Secondly, RECONNECT will assess the extent to which democracy and the rule of law fail to resonate with EU citizens, questioning how this may impact upon the legitimacy of the European project (perceptions). In doing so, RECONNECT will test the assumption that the attainment of solidarity, entailing a transnational community founded upon mutual trust, and justice, based on the fairness of democratic processes and rule of law mechanisms, leads to a more legitimate EU. To address these questions:

1. RECONNECT will provide a comprehensive diagnosis of the EUâ€™s democratic and rule of law crises by analysing the deep tensions between the principles and practices of democracy and the rule of law, on the one hand, and citizensâ€™ and civil societyâ€™s perceptions thereof, on the other. Mismatches among these three dimensions challenge the EUâ€™s authority and legitimacy. RECONNECT will test and develop this bottom-up approach in the context of four key policy areas: economic and fiscal governance, counter-terrorism policies, trade policy and migration policies.

2. RECONNECT will develop policy recommendations and communication strategies and propose Treaty changes in order to enhance EU legitimacy on the basis of a harmonious convergence among principles, practices and perceptions of democracy and the rule of law.

3. The ultimate goal of RECONNECT is to create a new narrative for EU governance which will seek to inspire and shape future debates, kindling a creative, innovative and inclusive process of reflection on the European project.

Work performed

The first year of the RECONNECT project was primarily devoted to setting in place management, methodological and communication frameworks and laying the groundwork for the first deliverables (working papers) in WPs 3-8.

In terms of management, this meant the organization of the first General Assembly and the Kick-off conference, the drafting of the project handbook (Project Evaluation and Implementation Plan), setting up a bi-annual reporting framework and an internal peer-review mechanism. Close contacts with all partners, the IAB members and the Commission were ensured through project meetings, workshops, the RECONNECT high-level lecture series, in the context of external academic events, and bilateral meetings.

In terms of methods, this meant the drafting of the project\'s Data Management Plan, providing training to the researchers on the methods that will be applied in the project, and developing a handbook on the Representative Claims Analysis that will be conducted in year 2. In addition, two waves of comparative online panel surveys were run before and after the elections to the European Parliament, with 2000 and 1000 respondents respectively in six EU Member States (Denmark, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Spain).

In terms of communication, this meant the drafting of the project\'s Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Strategy, and the establishment of a range of core communication channels, including the RECONNECT website, an extensive mailing list, several highly active social media profiles, a blog, and a webinar series. Several public RECONNECT events were organized throughout the year, including the Kick-off conference and the high-level lecture series, but also round tables and workshops in Brussels and at the partner institutions.

Research has begun in work packages 3-8 but no working papers were due during the reporting period. The research has so far concentrated on developing detailed outlines for the working papers due in year 2, agreeing on divisions of work, conducting literature reviews and data collections, and drafting first papers. Draft output has been presented at RECONNECT workshops in Rome and Trondheim (January and April 2019), a WP6 meeting in Lille (March 2019) and at the Conference of Europeanists in Madrid in June 2019.