This book brings accountability in the EU from different perspectives and examines whether EU citizens have real opportunities for holding decision-makers accountable, or whether the current institutional set-up of the EU merely creates an illusion of accountability. This volume reviews the debates and analyzes the prospects of accountability according by looking into different aspects of the EU polity and concludes that current mechanisms for accountability are seriously flawed. The authors examine: EU accountability in relation to the institutional structure and in comparison with other international organizations; the chains of delegation from national governments to supranational level, the extensive use of independent agencies and technocratic expertise; the current constitutional reform process; the openness and transparency of EU institutions and decision processes; and, delegated authorities within different policy areas.Using a strict framework focusing on the difference between formal mechanisms and actual opportunities for accountability, this highly coherent volume will be of interest to students and scholars of European politics, especially those interested in the democratic foundations of the European political system.