“…It addresses both the position of the Convention system vis-à-vis the Contracting States, and its positioning with respect to fundamental rights protection in the European Union. The first part of the book focuses on interactions in this triangle from an institutional and constitutional point of view and reflects on how the key actors are trying to define their relationship with one another in a never-ending process. …”

“…The effects of recent institutional change within the European Union on small states have often been overlooked. …”

Tabla de Contenidos: “…/ Carol Harlow -- When EU civil society complains : civil society organisations and ombudsmanship at the European level / Peter Bonnor -- European institutions and the policy discourse of organised civil society / Carlo Ruzza -- Comparing civil society participation in European environmental policy and consumer protection / Hubert Heinelt and Britta Meinke-Brandmaier -- European trade-union strategies : between technocratic efficiency and democratic legitimacy / Roland Erne -- Inventing the people : civil society participation and the enhabitation of the EU / Laura Cram -- The professionalisation of interest representation : a legitimacy problem for civil society in the EU? …”