Federalism in the European Union: the view from below (if there is such a thing)

As a federal system the European Union (EU) has to deal in one way or another with the distribution of competencies. While conflicting views about this thorny issue are ventured in the literature, we emphasize in this paper the implications for political accountability. At the present time, most authors would concur, political accountability due to the institutional structure and the complex decision-making processes is mixed at best. Thus, we propose to explore the ways in which the distribution of competencies is viewed from below, namely by the EU citizens. As one might expect, we find evidence that this view is not yet as clear-cut as one might hope.