A participação cidadã nos processos de integração regional: pela efetiva construção de espaços democráticos nas relações interestatais

Abstract

This study aims to analyze citizen participation in regional integration processes, with particular attention to the European and Latin American cases. The aim is to check to what extent were created means to foster joint construction between states and citizens to the different forms of inter-state associations could effectively consolidate democratic values, anchored in an opening perspective of the decision-making process. As will be discussed, citizen participation in regional integration processes meets the imperative of meeting the democratic gaps that may arise from making purely intergovernmental decisions. As the development of the integration process is subjected to an eminently state action, other social actors are straggling of the decisional process, which can cause a serious imbalance between the private interests of each state and the interests of society. We conclude, therefore, that both in the case of the European process as in the case of Latin American processes should pay attention to the state exclusivity, always present in the conduct and development of integration, although in the European case, such a situation has been minimized the creation of a parliament whose citizen participation is clearly encouraged. Regarding the methodology, we were used historical and inductive methods to lay out the conceptual assumptions and practices applied to the issue of development of this participation in the framework of the consolidation of democratic values that should prevail in any and every attempt association.