The article is based on the assumption that a time sensitive democratic theory is missing in current political science debates on inter- and transnational governance. The central thesis is that the flexibility of time structures beyond the nation state bears a negative impact on the democratic legitimacy of politics because it is likely to create unequal chances of political representation and participation. The argumentation is divided into four parts. Part one examines the meaning of institutionally fixed and reasonable time-structures for the democratic fairness and legitimacy of political decision-making. Part two discusses the insufficient recognition of the temporal implications of political power in the relevant political science literature. Part three develops analytic categories that are sensitive to the intersection of power and time. Finally, in part four the Bologna process of higher education reform is chosen as an empirical reference point, allowing the analysis to exemplify strategic implications of time management in soft modes of inter- and transnational governance.