The EU was created with the aim of promoting democracy in Europe. The union’s legitimacy, democracy, and accountability are questioned. Countries that make up the EU are governed by laws and political systems that bind all members through a common decision-making process. The legitimacy of the EU is based on the key decision-making bodies; the European Parliament (EP) and the Council which is created through democratic elections. The European Commission (EC) is composed of commissioners...
The EU was created with the aim of promoting democracy in Europe. The union’s legitimacy, democracy, and accountability are questioned. Countries that make up the EU are governed by laws and political systems that bind all members through a common decision-making process. The legitimacy of the EU is based on the key decision-making bodies; the European Parliament (EP) and the Council which is created through democratic elections. The European Commission (EC) is composed of commissioners from every member state. The commission proposes and implements legislation to monitor the compliance of member states with the EU treaties. This commission is an external representation of the EU that also promotes the union’s interests and tackles internal affairs. The EC is seen as an undemocratic part of the EU especially because its key source of legitimacy lies with the EP approval. There have been attempts to democratize the EC. The EP has also been referred to when people discuss the legitimacy of EU or lack thereof Initially, people argued that if the EP was given more legitimate power, it would be more accountable, and the democracy would improve. The European Parliament was given the power to veto on economic and social spending, but this power has not reduced the democracy deficit. On many occasions, the EU has been criticised to be a democratic deficit.
