DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE FACULTY OF ARTS

CONSTANTINE THE PHILOSOPHER UNIVERSITY IN NITRA

invites you to the

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE

“TOGETHER WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION – THE DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT AND THE EUROPEAN UNION”

on 22 April 2026 in cooperation with

• DEPARTMENT OF SECURITY POLICY, FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND ADMINISTRATION, KAZIMIERZ WIELKI UNIVERSITY IN BYDGOSZCZ, POLAND
• DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, PALACKÝ UNIVERSITY IN OLOMOUC, CZECH REPUBLIC
• INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF PANNONIA, HUNGARY
• INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, BRATISLAVA
• EUROPE DIRECT NITRA

with the support of

THE SCIENTIFIC GRANT AGENCY OF THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC AND THE SLOVAK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The conference is part of VEGA project No. 2/0068/23 “Forms and Mechanisms of Differentiation and Reconfiguration of Public and Political Life. Collective Actions and Political Attitudes.”

About the Conference

The international scientific conference Together with the European Union – The Democratic Deficit and the European Union will take place as the second annual event, following the successful first conference held on 25–26 June 2024 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of Central European countries, specifically the Visegrad Group (V4), to the European Union. The aim of this year’s conference is to open discussion on what EU membership has brought and how the so-called democratic deficit manifests itself today — that is, the extent to which EU decisions are subject to democratic control — including its manifestations at the level of member states. The concept of the democratic deficit dates back to the 1970s, when British academic David Marquand first described institutional weaknesses of the European Communities in terms of democratic legitimacy. The debate includes questions such as:

• whether “Brussels” creates rules without sufficient democratic control,
• whether citizens have a direct influence on the composition of the Commission,
• whether the system is overly technocratic and distant from citizens,
• whether EU decision-making is sufficiently connected to public oversight,
• the influence of member states,
• and the future of the veto right as a key instrument of member-state influence.

The conference seeks to provide scholars, academics, practitioners, doctoral candidates, students, and the wider public with space for professional discussion, evaluation, analysis, and reflection. The conference will be divided into:

• Political Science Section
• Philosophy Section
• Doctoral Section

The event will also include the ceremonial opening of the new Europe Direct Centre at the Faculty of Arts, CPU Nitra.