What does the European Union’s so-called ‘democratic deficit’ stem from, and how could it be tackled?

Acepublisher .

Order the writing of a tailor-made European Union Essay

Free quote online

Essay Format .doc

What does the European Union’s so-called ‘democratic deficit’ stem from, and how could it be tackled?

Download

Read an extract

Reader
Abstract
Contents
Extract

Abstract

One of the most important discussions in the modern-day European Union concerns the democratic deficit. The Maastricht treaty, which was signed on February 1992 by different European states, claims that the goal the EU is to create ‘an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen' (John, McCormick 2005, 131). However, opinions polls show that a large majority of citizens find Europe less satisfactory that their own states as far democratic functioning is concerned (Paul, Magnette 2005, 167).This paper considers the following questions: What does the European Union's so-called ‘democratic deficit' stem from, and how could it be tackled? The relevant literature yields more than a dozen definitions of “democratic deficit”, all resting on the same basic assumptions about the origins of the problem (Stelios, Stavridis et all. 1997, 72-3).

Introduction.
What does 'democratic deficit' mean and how has the problem risen?
1. The meaning of 'democratic deficit'.
2. The factors causing the democratic deficit in the European Union.
3. Low voter turnout.
4. The high level of euroscepticism.
5. A lack of the feeling of European citizenship.
6. Problems of organisation in EU institutions.
What does 'democracy' mean and how is one to tackle the problem of a 'democratic deficit' in Europe?
1. Definition of democracy.
2. Tackling the 'democratic deficit' in Europe.
3. More explanation of EU procedures.
4. Establishment of a uniform electoral system.
5. More free movement of people in Europe.
6. Election of the Commission.
7. More power for the European Parliament.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

Get this table of contents for free after login.

Extract

[...] European Citizenship, Multiculturalmism, and the State, pp.87-104. Baden: Die Deutsche Bibliothek. Lodge, Juliet “Democracy in the EU: the Inter-relationship between Supranational, National and Subnational Levels of Governement'' in Telo, Mario, eds., Democratie et Construction européenne, pp. 240-250. Brussels : Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles. Lodge, Juliet “Euro-Elections 2004- A defining Point in European Integration in Lodge, Juliet, eds. The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament, pp.3-7. Chippenham : Palgrave MacMillan. Louis, Jean-Victor constitution de l'Union européenne'' in Telo, Mario, eds., Democratie et Construction européenne, pp. [...]

[...] We can say that in general EU citizens are relatively uninterested in participating in the mechanisms for shaping the structure and policies of EU institutions (Loukas, Tsoukalis 2005, 208-9) The high level of euroscepticism: Euroscepticism is a term which covers opposition both to the process of European integration and to what are felt to be the ever-increasing the powers of the European Union (Iain, McLean and Alistair, McMillan 2006). It can be applied to political parties, individual citizens and national governments (Anthony, Forster 2002, 1-9). [...]

[...] Peterson, John and Bomberg, Elizabeth Decision-making in the European Union. London: MacMillan Press LTD. Poirier, Philippe “Luxembourg” in Lodge, Juliet, eds. The 2004 Elections to the European Parliament, pp.179-186. Chippenham : Palgrave MacMillan. Preuss, Ulrich K Relevance of the Concept of Citizenship for the Political and Constitutional Development of the in Preuss, Ulrich K. and Requejo, Ferran, eds. European Citizenship, Multiculturalmism, and the State, pp.11-27. Baden: Die Deutsche Bibliothek. Requejo, Ferran “European Citizenship in Plurinational States- Some limits of traditional Democratic Theories: Rawls and Habermas” in Preuss, Ulrich K. [...]

[...] It needs also to be acknowledged that the European Union is not, and does not have an ambition to become, a state, and that because of the diverse societies it is made up of, it would be unrealistic to envisage the formation of something like a single and homogenous a European people (Paul, Magnette 2005, 174). EU citizens will continue to define themselves primarily in terms of their national identities, and the EU should disavow any aim of subsuming them into a single nation (Paul, Magnette 2005, 174). [...]

[...] Perhaps European people need only a few more decades to accept that Europe could be a confederation or a federation where there is no democratic deficit and where everyone can feel that he possesses full European citizenship status (Paul, Magnette 2005, 187-188). After all, the European Union's future has yet to be written (Paul, Magnette 2005, 187- 188). Bibliography Sources from books or journal articles Anderson, Malcolm and bart, Eberhard Schengen and the Southern Frontier of the European Union. Edinburgh: The University of Edinburgh Press. [...]

doc