How to make the process of European integration more legitimate is the question posed by this book. In other words, how to fill the political/institutional void left by the protracted ratification process of the Treaty of Lisbon and how to recreate a strong political linkage between voters and European institutions. In view of the upcoming 2009 EP elections, five institutes, the Istituto Affari Internazionali (coordinator, Rome), Centro Studi sul Federalismo (Turin), Institut fur Europaische Politik 8Berlin), Notre Europe (Paris) and the Federal Trust (London), in cooperation with Tepsa and EU-CONSENT, both networks of research centres in Europe, have joined to carry out a study on this crucial topic. The main aim of the initiative was not only to launch (once again) the proposal that European political parties nominate candidates for the post of President of the European Commission, but also to advocate that the European Parliament play a more crucial and central role, in terms of both exercising its power and undertaking inter-institutional dialogue.

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