Civil society and the European Union. From enthusiasm to disenchantment

Abstract

Abstract This paper adopts the wide definition of civil society, namely the one suggested by the EU. It includes all sorts of private collectives from producer groups, trade unions, care and common cause organizations, NGOs, to social and protest movements. Distinguishing between a structural (governance) and an actor-centred perspective (collective action) and, orthogonally, two levels of territorial complexity (the sub-, and the supranational), the history of the relationship between the EU and civil society is presented for the period of the past 35 years. It turns out that despite enormous efforts invested in the relationship from the part of both sides, and of many heroic declamations aimed at pathbreaking reform, the outcome tends to be relatively meagre and disenchanting both in institutional and organizational terms.