Erik O. Eriksen is professor, dr. philos, and director of ARENA - Centre for European Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. He is currently coordinator of RECON (Reconstituting Democracy in Europe), an Integrated Project under the European Commission's sixth framework program. His main fields of interest are political theory, democratic governance, public policy, and European integration. He has authored, edited or co-edited 19 books and more than 80 articles and book chapters. Recent publications include 'Democracy in the European Union: Integration through deliberation' (2000), 'Understanding Habermas' (2003), 'Making the European Polity' (2005), 'Law, Democracy, and Solidarity in a Post-national Union' (2008).