Æóðíàë Viche 2015 ¹2

¹2, 2015

Civil Society and the European Union: Activities and Collaboration

Principles of participation of the civil society and its organizations in public life of the European Union Member States and its impact on political and integration processes within the Community are considered. Mechanisms to involve the public into the decision-making processes taking place at the EU level (in particular, the usage of public consultations between the High Authorities of the European Union and public institutions) are explored, since they become increasingly important while developing the social sphere. The EU civil society is stressed to operate within a complex multi-level system of administration realized by the supranational representative authorities. Therefore, within the democratic framework of the European Union, there are a lot of institutions to unite the society and the government and, as a result, play a crucial role developing democracy. Civil society is a link that provides feedback between the EU authorities and citizens of its Member States, so the latters are actively involving in public decision-making processes concerning issues submitted to the all-European consideration.
Keywords: civil society, EU, democracy, institutions, integration.

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Igor TKACHENKO