The Right to Govern : The Democratic Legitimacy of the European Union

Political parties in EU countries are preparing for the next elections to the European Parliament (EP) in June 2004. Will they succeed in reversing the worrying downward trend in voter turnout at these elections? This study, focusing on the weak democratic legitimacy of the Union, gives little cause for optimism. As long as voters are unable to wield any predictable influence on the direction of EU policies, they are likely to remain indifferent to European elections.

The main thesis of this study may be summarised as follows: the creation of a European government is a necessary condition for stirring up public interest in EU issues and really involving European citizens in EU policymaking. The EU?s current complex and diffuse structure of political authority, dividing power between the Commission, Council and European Council, is at the root of the problem of democratic legitimacy. Proposals to extend the power of the EP and expand the role of national parliaments in European policymaking, as submitted by the European Convention, are bound to be rather ineffective, as they fail to address this root cause.

Federalisation of the EU is the obvious choice when it comes to strengthening the Union?s democracy. However, legitimacy is not only a matter of delivering goods that satisfy people?s needs (output legitimacy) and giving citizens an opportunity to participate in policymaking (input legitimacy), but it is also related to people?s sense of community. Two strategies are discussed that might lead to an increased sense of community in the EU.