Multi‐level networks as a threat to democracy? The case of Portugal's Vasco da Gama bridge

The European Union (EU), particularly since the signing of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the implementation of the common currency among 12 EU member states, is increasingly important in the lives of European citizens. Indeed, a deeply entrenched level of government has gradually evolved at the supranational level, at times supplanting the decision-making authority of the national and/or sub-national levels. There is no shortage of studies which seek to understand policy making in the European ‘polity’. Several analysts see in the EU the emergence of a complex, multi-level system of decision making. Further, others have applied policy network analysis to develop explanations of policy making and implementation across levels. Many of these scholars are convinced that network governance is increasingly the norm within and beyond European states. While there is by no means agreement on the usefulness of this perspective, enough evidence has been presented to merit serious consideration of policy network analysis. And if policy networks are indeed in place across the EU, other questions arise; for example, what effects such networks may have on policy making and implementation. Moreover, as Peterson and O’Toole point out, it is important to ask what the effects of policy networks may be on democratic legitimacy. The current study seeks to explore this question. First, general arguments and evidence will be presented regarding the policy networks perspective and the hypothesized effects of such networks on democratic governance. Second, criteria will be developed to assess the democratic legitimacy of network decision making. Third, the multi-level network which appears to characterize environmental policy in the EU will be