The Concept of Sovereignity as a Neo-Repubican Source of Legitimacy in the European Union

Abstract: This article investigates the legitimacy of political authority within the European Union (EU) through the lens of neo-republican theory, emphasizing the principle of non-domination as the normative foundation of democratic sovereignty. It confronts a central question regarding the source of legitimacy, distinguishing legitimacy from justice and arguing that legitimacy arises not from pre-political legal frameworks, but from political processes rooted in the sovereign will. The ideal of non-domination is presented as both a normative and political principle that aligns with the EU’s historical post-war project of peace and anti-hegemony. It also addresses the “democratic disconnect” highlighted by Peter Lindseth, which reflects the growing distance between EU institutions and European citizens. The author argues for the reconnection of democratic legitimacy through a federal European union based on a unified demos and political identity. The concept of sovereignty is reinterpreted in a neo-republican framework, integrating classical and modern political theory (e.g., Bodin, Hobbes, Schmitt). Sovereignty is not simply a legal concept, but a political force rooted in the collective will, characterized by perpetuity, territoriality, and autonomy. The article explores the tension between the sovereign as a mystical body and its tangible manifestation in political institutions, emphasizing the interstitial nature of sovereignty. Finally, the article criticizes technocratic and depersonalized governance in the EU and reasserts the need for a political-theological element that rehumanizes political authority. It cautions against concentrating sovereign power in a single organ without grounding it in the general will of the people. Instead, it advocates for a dynamic, deliberative process of democratic sovereignty, grounded in historical identity and public discourse, as the true foundation of legitimacy in the EU.

Bio: Medical doctor, ENT specialist, with a master’s degree in Political Philosophycompleted in 2024, he joined the doctoral program in Political Philosophy about a year ago in order to deepen his research work on the possibility of a true European identity based on the republican principle of freedom as non-domination.