The Institute for European Law (Institutet för Europeisk rätt) warmly invites you to the launch of The Principle of Participatory Democracy in the European Union by Gloria Golmohammadi, published by Hart/Bloomsbury.
The Principle of Participatory Democracy in the European Union offers the first complete legal doctrinal account of the principle of participatory democracy enshrined in the EU Treaties. It traces the principle’s origins and theoretical foundations and identifies the legal rights and obligations that follow from it. Against the backdrop of challenges facing representative democracy, the book examines the Treaty promise that citizens should participate in the democratic life of the Union, including in EU law-making. It considers institutional practice, judicial review and recent CJEU case law, and asks how participatory democracy can be given more concrete legal effect within the EU constitutional framework.
The launch will begin with a brief presentation of the book and comments by Professor Jaan Paju in conversation with the author.
This will be followed by an online panel discussion bringing together academic, civil-society and institutional perspectives on participatory democracy in the European Union.
Panel
• Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law at HEC Paris and Founder of The Good Lobby
• Sebastian Bechtel, Democracy Lead, ClientEarth
• Irina-Maria Berghea, ECIT Foundation
Discussant: Professor Jaan Paju
Moderator: Professor Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt
We look forward to a discussion of the book’s themes, the principle of participatory democracy within the EU’s constitutional framework, and its relevance for understanding European democracy today.
Further information about the book, including its cover and contents, is available on the Bloomsbury/Hart book page.
The seminar will take place at Mannheimer Swartlings Rättegångssal Universitetsvägen 10 C, Södra huset, Frescati C-huset.
It is also possible to join the seminar online.
Please register by 22 September 2026. A light lunch will be served to registered participants attending in person.
Warm welcome!