A REDIRECT panel was organised at the 13th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union (SGEU), hosted by the University of Catania, Italy. The conference brought together scholars working on European integration, democratic politics and the challenges currently facing the European Union.
The panel, titled “Representation in the European Union under Pressure: Elites, Citizens, and the Democratic Disconnect”, examined how democratic representation in the EU is being reshaped by growing tensions between political elites, citizens and representative institutions. Bringing together research on political representation, democratic responsiveness and the evolving relationship between citizens and decision-makers, the panel contributed to ongoing debates on the sources and consequences of democratic disconnect in contemporary Europe.
The session was chaired by Marco Improta from the University of Siena, co-chaired by Federico Russo from the University of Salento, and discussed by Magdalena Góra from Jagiellonian University. The discussion contributed to REDIRECT’s broader research agenda on representative democracy, political responsiveness and the transformation of citizen–elite relationships across different levels of governance.
Date: 1–3 July 2026
Location: Catania, Italy
Panel: S19 P114, Polo Didattico, Ground floor room A1
Chair: Marco Improta, Università degli Studi di Siena
Co-chair: Federico Russo, University of Salento
Discussant: Magdalena Góra, Jagiellonian University
#PoliticalRepresentation #DemocraticDisconnect #EuropeanUnion #DemocraticPolitics #PoliticalScience #ECPR #SGEU #REDIRECT