{"id":849,"date":"2023-05-30T13:47:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T17:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/?page_id=849"},"modified":"2023-05-30T13:47:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T17:47:03","slug":"op-ed-the-european-union-has-a-democratic-deficit-problem","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/opinions\/op-ed-the-european-union-has-a-democratic-deficit-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-Ed: The European Union has a Democratic Deficit Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Flags
Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Madison Peak<\/p>\n

\u201cThe resulting \u2018democratic deficit\u2019 would not be acceptable in a Community committed to democratic principles. Yet such a deficit would be inevitable unless the gap were somehow filled by the European Parliament\u2026.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

– Labor Politician David Marquand, <\/span>1979<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The idea that the European Union (EU) has a \u2018<\/span>democratic deficit<\/span><\/a>\u2019 problem emerged in the 1970s, when David Marquand, a British academic, first coined the term. He used the term to describe the European Community\u2019s institutional weaknesses surrounding democratic <\/span>legitimacy<\/span><\/a>. In other words, the EU\u2019s democratic deficit refers to the lack of accessibility and representation of EU member-state citizens within the policy-making process and EU institutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The EU was not created to be a supranational anti-democratic institution. Democratic issues arose when the <\/span>Single European Act<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Treaty on the European Union<\/span><\/a> transferred political power away from EU member-states to EU institutions. As K\u00fcbra Dilek Azman argues, this transfer of political decisions and allocations <\/span>\u00a0\u201cweakened democratic influence and control at the national level without having been compensated by equally strong democratic institutions and processes at the European level<\/span><\/a>.\u201d In the process of developing its bureaucracy, the EU transferred certain functional parts of democratic sovereignty from member states to an organization ill-prepared to utilize it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some argue that the EU is a democratic achievement because of parliamentary electoral participation and its fundamental freedoms enshrined in law. Yet, these two \u201cachievements\u201d are not as democratically positive as they deem.<\/span><\/p>\n

I argue that there are two overarching reasons for the EU\u2019s democratic deficit. The first is the lack of a common European identity. There is <\/span>little coherence<\/span><\/a> between national and EU identities. EU citizens are more likely to identify with their state of origin rather than the EU. Therefore, if the EU lacks a shared identity and the EU continues to strengthen EU institutions, then the democratic deficit will only deepen over time. Because the EU has failed to create a collective <\/span>European identity<\/span><\/a>, there is a lack of political unity within many EU organizations. As a result, the lack of political unity decreases the EU’s legitimacy and gives citizens less of a voice in a politically polarized environment. This issue is the primary reason why BREXIT was supported by so many British citizens who believed that the EU lacked the legitimacy to create policies that affected their daily lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second reason stems from structural issues within the EU regarding the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP). A core element of democracies is citizen participation through voting and representative political decision-making. An easy way for governments to bolster citizen participation is through elections in which citizens vote for the officials who create the policies that govern them. The <\/span>EC<\/span><\/a> is a non-elected institution, as the European Council proposes a commissioner that Parliament approves. As a non-elected institution, the <\/span>EC<\/span><\/a> promotes, proposes, and enforces EU legislation. This creates a divide between the EU and its citizens, who lack a direct say in the appointments of officials governing their region. While the <\/span>Lisbon Treaty<\/span><\/a> introduced the <\/span>European Citizens\u2019 Initiative<\/span><\/a> to increase transparency and involve citizens in EU legislation and policy-making processes, it is not enough to fill the structural deficit of democratic representation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

EU citizens directly elect members of the EP, which is <\/span>the weakest<\/span><\/a> of the three core EU institutions. The EP cannot propose legislation and often has a low voter turnout. The highest <\/span>voter turnout<\/span><\/a> was in 1979 at 61.99%, but has since gradually decreased to only 56% in 2019. In comparison, U.S. voter turnout in 2020 was <\/span>66.7%<\/span><\/a>. EP elections do not coincide with government or policy formations, leading to a <\/span>discontent<\/span><\/a> between voting and democracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is equally possible that the democratic deficit was created by member-states when they acceded to the union. Nation-states, with unique identities and democratic ideals, joined the EU, but were put in a position to give up some parts of the democratic sovereignty to create interdependence in the union. Daniel Innerarity proposes that the deficit \u201c<\/span>consists of the fact that member states, trapped in a dense network of interdependencies, are not capable of providing their citizens some of the goods without which a democracy stops being one<\/span><\/a>.\u201d After joining the EU, member-states often could no longer perform democratic actions that their constituencies expected. States failed to include citizen power in EU treaties furthered the deficit. However, the Commission could rectify this problem and decrease the democratic deficit of the EU.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two overarching reasons for the EU\u2019s democratic deficit\u2013the lack of a common European identity and the structural issues of the EC and the EP\u2013have been ongoing since the European Community. As states joined the Union, the deficit deepened as member-states lost more of their democratic power that was not translated appropriately. The democratic deficit of the EU threatens its future, but it was probably inevitable and will be near impossible to reconcile in the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/dl>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"
Madison Peak graduated from Arizona State University in 2021, with dual degrees in global studies and political science and from Boston University\u2019s Pardee School of Global Studies, in 2023 with her Master of Arts in International Affairs, specializing in Diplomacy. Madison\u2019s academic foci are global governance and women\u2019s rights under international law. She has interned with the United Nations Association, was President of her graduate program\u2019s student council and women\u2019s group, and studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland. Now, Madison works with the International Republican Institute\u2019s Women\u2019s Democracy Network in Washington, D.C., as a Program Associate.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Bibliography<\/h4>\n

Azman, International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 1 No. 5; May 2011, K\u00fcbra Dilek. \u201cThe Problem of \u2018Democratic Deficit\u2019 in the European Union.\u201d International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, May 2011. <\/span>https:\/\/www.ijhssnet.com\/journals\/Vol._1_No._5;_May_2011\/27.pdf<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clark, D. \u201cTurnout in European Elections 1979-2019.\u201d Statista, July 27, 2022. <\/span>https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/300427\/eu-parlament-turnout-for-the-european-elections\/<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConsolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union – EUR-Lex.\u201d EUR-Lex, October 26, 2012. <\/span>https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506-fd71826e6da6.0023.02\/DOC_1&amp;format=PDF<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDemocracy in the EU.\u201d Civitas, December 18, 2015. <\/span>https:\/\/www.civitas.org.uk\/eu-facts\/eu-overview\/democracy-in-the-eu\/<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDemocratic Deficit.\u201d EUR-Lex. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/EN\/legal-content\/glossary\/democratic-deficit.html<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cElections and Appointments.\u201d European Union. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/european-union.europa.eu\/institutions-law-budget\/leadership\/elections-and-appointments_en<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEU Parliament’s Powers \u2013 DW \u2013 07\/05\/2017.\u201d dw.com. Deutsche Welle, July 5, 2017. <\/span>https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/what-are-the-powers-of-the-european-parliament\/a-4295011<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEuropean Citizens\u2019 Initiative – Ecas.issuelab.org.\u201d EUR-Lex. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/ecas.issuelab.org\/resources\/30529\/30529.pdf<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEuropean Commission.\u201d European Union. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/european-union.europa.eu\/institutions-law-budget\/institutions-and-bodies\/institutions-and-bodies-profiles\/european-commission_en<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEuropean Issues and Interviews.\u201d Europe and the identity challenge: who are “we”? Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/www.robert-schuman.eu\/en\/european-issues\/0466-europe-and-the-identity-challenge-who-are-we<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFounding Agreements.\u201d European Union. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/european-union.europa.eu\/principles-countries-history\/principles-and-values\/founding-agreements_en<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jasson, Chiara. \u201cTHE CHALLENGE OF EUROPEAN IDENTITY.\u201d Refugee Survey Quarterly 20, no. 2 (2001): 151\u201358. <\/span>http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/45053389<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luedtke, Adam. Review of The European Parliament: Is It a Normal Legislature?, by Simon Hix, Abdul G. Noury, and G\u00e9rard Roland. International Studies Review 10, no. 2 (2008): 338\u201341. <\/span>http:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/25481973<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plescia, Carolina, Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Daoust, and Andr\u00e9 Blais. \u201cDo European Elections Enhance Satisfaction with European Union Democracy?\u201d European Union Politics 22, no. 1 (2020): 94\u2013113. <\/span>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1465116520970280<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSingle European Act (SEA)&nbsp;.\u201d European Parliament. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/about-parliament\/en\/in-the-past\/the-parliament-and-the-treaties\/single-european-act<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Treaty of Lisbon: Fact Sheets on the European Union: European Parliament.\u201d Fact Sheets on the European Union | European Parliament. Accessed January 27, 2023. <\/span>https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/factsheets\/en\/sheet\/5\/the-treaty-of-lisbon<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVoter Turnout.\u201d FairVote, December 16, 2022. <\/span>https:\/\/fairvote.org\/resources\/voter-turnout\/<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Madison Peak \u201cThe resulting \u2018democratic deficit\u2019 would not be acceptable in a Community committed to democratic principles. Yet such a deficit would be inevitable unless the gap were somehow filled by the European Parliament\u2026.\u201d – Labor Politician David Marquand, 1979 The idea that the European Union (EU) has a \u2018democratic deficit\u2019 problem emerged in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21824,"featured_media":854,"parent":393,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/849"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21824"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1203,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/849\/revisions\/1203"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/pardeeatlas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}