Democracy in Europe

One-minute summary

The EU is the world's most democratic international organisation, yet criticism of its decision-making is common.

While there is always room for improvement, and some areas remain in need of reform, much of this criticism is based on three simple misconceptions:

• The outdated belief that the European Parliament is powerless, or nearly powerless. This was the case in the early days of the EU, but successive reforms have made Parliament an equal partner in legislation with the Council of Ministers. Parliament has a final yes/no say over almost all proposed EU laws and in most cases the final text of the law must be agreed in identical terms by MEPs and ministers. Yet eurosceptics continue to propagate the myth that Parliament is simply a fig-leaf or a rubber-stamping body.
• The misconception of 'Brussels' as a higher authority dictating to Britain. In reality, the EU is nothing more than a voluntary association of sovereign countries. 'Brussels' (or Strasbourg) is simply the place where we meet to hammer out agreements.
• The false belief that we could do things on our own. In today's globalised world, few problems stop at national borders and we are all interdependent, whether we like it or not. The EU does not diminish our sovereignty: instead, it provides a way in which we can exercise it effectively and with democratic scrutiny.
  
• See also: European Parliament; European Commission

Labour views

• Richard Corbett MEP: "The EU has a level of democratic scrutiny which exists in no other international organisation."

Other views

• Roger Helmer, Conservative MEP: "If the EU has done little for jobs and trade, it has done less for democracy."
• Foreign Policy Centre: "The European Union is certainly not perfect, but it is the most advanced and successful international organisation that has ever been created."
• Mehr Demokratie, German think-tank: "The democratic balance sheet for the EU integration process is currently in the red."
• Sir Michael Butler, Global Thinking journal: "There is a deficit, but it is a deficit of consent not of democracy."
• European Union Studies Association: "Fears that the EU might develop into an oppressive superstate are dispelled by the high consensus requirements of EU legislation."

Reference materials

• Wikipedia article on the democratic deficit: Wikipedia is a user-edited online encyclopedia.

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