Introduction: Diffuse control mechanisms in the European Union: towards a new democracy?

One of the most important developments of western democracies in recent years is the demand for more democratic control and accountability. This new demand can be observed in the constant increase of mechanisms of control over political bodies and institutions, and also the diversification of these mechanisms. At the EU level, these changes are so clear that many policy-makers and scholars feel that it is bringing about a renewal of democracy. Since this article goes along with normative judgement, it is necessary to investigate these transformations with the foil in questions: Has the EU developed a new model of democracy that could be called 'diffuse democracy and is better suited to its particular structure? Is it merely an extension of the notion of 'legal community'? The case studies assembled in this special issue seek to grasp the reality of accountability mechanisms in the EU and to assess whether they can be considered as elements of a new democratic paradigm.