The open method of co-ordination's (OMCs) emphasis on transparency, democratic participation and learning has led to a particular interest in this governance mechanism from the perspective of deliberative democracy. This article analyses the 'democratic' dimension of the OMC from a normative and an empirical perspective. We first present relevant theories of deliberative democracy, from which we derive a list of normative criteria, which we then use to explore the democratic quality of the OMC in the areas of employment and pensions. The empirical analysis reveals that there are important differences in the democratic quality of the OMC between these two areas, but that, ultimately, the OMC (as yet) does not live up to its own democratic ambitions.