Environmental NGOs : Channels of democracy for the European Union

The notion of democratic deficit has been at the centre of many debates on the
European Union for the last 30 years. The reason is, to a certain degree, linked to the lack of legitimacy of the European Commission, which is not elected and remote from the European citizens. However, the Commission seems to have found a positive way to increase its legitimacy by the inclusion of civil-society in the decision-making process. The interaction between the Commission and two Environmental NGOs will therefore be analysed in order to make a constructive contribution to the debate. The present paper does not limit itself to normative statements on reality and considers that there is more to socio political relations than “true” verifiable facts. Therefore, it is not limited to the formal decision-making process, and goes deeper into the socialisation process at play between the different actors. The outcome is that the Environmental NGOs studied appears as valuable models for the implementation of new democratic channels for the representation and participation of European citizens.