The EU’s technocracy model : the interplay between unelected experts and elected representatives

Abstract

The European Union has extensive powers over its Member States, yet it is often accused of not possessing sufficient democratic credentials. This issue is often called the ‘democratic deficit’. However, the EU’s regulatory functions offer its Member States ‘output efficiency’ - meaning that the EU’s everyday functions conducted by unelected technocrats have a net positive effect on the Member States. On the other hand, the EU lacks ‘input legitimacy’ - meaning that it does not provide many opportunities for public participation and that its Technocracy Model is dominated by unelected experts while elected representatives such as Members of the European Parliament and Members of National Parliaments play a less important role. Across the EU, a persistent obstacle to further European integration is the issue of ‘Euroscepticism’. This issue reached its peak, up till now, when the UK public voted to trigger Article 50 TEU to leave the European Union. This ‘critical juncture’, which came as a result of Eurosceptic politicians in the UK convincing the UK public that the EU is an unaccountable and undemocratic organisation, sowed doubt on the EU’s future. In this paper, the interplay between the roles played by elected representatives and those played by unelected experts was analysed by applying qualitative discussions to assess whether the EU ought to further democratise, especially in light of Brexit, or whether its current Technocracy Model is sufficient as is. Interviews were conducted to gather expert opinion from the private and public sectors. A case study of a proposed Regulation which was, arguably, brought down by the National Parliaments was highlighted to underline the influence and power that National Parliaments1 may hold in EU policy-making. The democratic andtechnocratic credentials of the European Committee of the Regions were also examined to understand the level of input and output legitimacy that it holds in EU policy-making. The research shows that the EU policy-making process is largely dominated by the unelected experts within the European Commission. However, in the decision-making stage of the EU policy-making process, elected representatives from the European Parliament and the Council play a significant role, contributing massively to the EU’s input legitimacy. Other participatory instruments such as the European Citizens’ Initiative and the Conference on the Future of Europe also contribute to its input legitimacy, but these instruments tend not to have a tangible effect on the policy-making process. The EU ought to enhance its input legitimacy in order to prevent Euroscepticism whilst also emancipating EU citizens. However, it should be ensured that the rise in input legitimacy does not come at the cost of its output legitimacy.