The persistent EU democratic deficit : the power and legitimacy of the European Parliament

Abstract

Various definitions for democracy and democratic deficit make it quasi-impossible for any government to follow any hard and fast rule. But, whichever one is the exact definition the European Union (EU) is expected to follow and enhance some of the democratic principles that all member states present to make up for any loss of legitimacy when viewed from the national aspect. The European Parliament (EP) the only directly elected institution of the EU and, as such, is expected to be not only democratic but the means of leading the whole EU political system in the art of democracy. Presented in this study are some of the most important opinions found in literature concerning the EU' s democratic deficit. These are followed by the main strengths and weaknesses of the RT J when attempting to adjust its democratic deficit This paper which show that although the EP has the possibility - through its elections, functions and its party system - of eliminating the democratic deficit at the EU level, the same mechanisms that aid it to do so are the same that hamper its ability to fulfil this task.