Dysfunkcjonalny charakter systemu reprezentacji interesów w Unii Europejskiej

The theory of representation is an essential element of the social con-tract that legitimizes the state in democratic societies. In the European Union, representations of interests play a similar role to the one visible in other democratic systems. They are one of the main political actors in the EU, along with the governments of the Member States, EU institutions, political parties, national administration and voters. The global crisis of capitalism radically changed the context of policy, undermined systemic rules and shifted the standards of the public sphere. On the wave of criti-cism of the economy and neoliberal elites, as well as the ineffi ciency of the democratic system, the pathologies of representative politics are also rejected. New populist parties and their authoritarian leaders are rooted in social protests that marginalize the role of intermediary organizations. This kind of policy also challenges current EU rules. The signifi cant role of radical parties is partly due to the fact that the complexity of decision-making processes in the Union that strengthens the infl uence of well-or-ganized interest groups, which is benefi cial to strong actors in the public sphere (political elites, some industries and transnational corporations). As a result, the interest group policy has become, to a large extent, a synonym of “undemocratic liberalism” against which there are advocates of “illiberal democracy”, particularly infl uential in Central and Eastern Europe. After a long period of communist rule, the CEE countries are distinguished by a weak civil society and limited awareness of the role of representing inter-ests at both national and EU level. Policies shaped in such circumstances have often proven to be closer to new forms of “post-national democracy” in the CEE rather than to traditional national institutions, and this state of matters earns criticism of populist and conservative parties.