European Parliament
Before constituting a wide argument about Democratic Deficit of European Union it should be necessary to make a clear short concept regarding the background of European Union. European Integration was originated and emerging more and more by establishing three communities, they are the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and European Economic Community (EEC – later renamed – EC) and because of the Treaty of Maastricht of 1992 which ultimately came into force in November 1993, the European Union (EU). Behind the creation of European Union there was existence of some complicating circumstances. The major forces towards the creation of European Union was firstly the desolation of second world war and then observation of democratic collapse in Germany and Italy and also the threat of Soviet Union to the liberal democracy of the European countries. The main aim for constituting the European Union was to defend the democracy in which states it existed and to make it stronger in which states dictatorship was practiced. Now a day to be a member of European Union each candidate state has to belong the features of liberal democracy indicated above. Commentators says the aim of European Union has obtained in many cases, also the member state operating it successfully, but after all every state has some deficiency of various kind.
Though it is true that the European Union has achieved most of its goals but cannot be developed into a fully democratic system, which is explained by the commentators as a serious ‘democratic deficit’. The term “Democratic Deficit” should be clarified. Democracy is such kind of elected government system where the supreme power is of citizen and operated by them o r any agent elected by them through a free electoral system. Democratic Deficit refers to the failure of maintaining the principles of the parliamentary democracy by the government or any democratic organization in their activities where the parliamentary integrity is extensively discussed. In case of European Union democratic deficit means the lack of vested power in the European citizen partially or absolutely. To remove the democratic deficit European Union has strengthened the role of European Parliament and created regional committee, which is a symbol of liberal democracy and assumed as a cause of Democratic Deficit and as result European Union still belongs the lacking of democratic legitimacy in comprising members.
Though the European Union is a body elected by its member state directly, it could fulfill the deficits through the co-decision procedure at the decision making process in the council of minister, but it has no legislative power of control and lacks the accountable characteristics of the national parliament. It also cannot raise any issues (such as creating and amending directives) for legislation, only can propose to the commission. A Committee of Region was established in 1994 at the purpose of removing the deficit by making the decision for the region, but when it created a standard position itself, now it has only the consultative power and also their opinion are ignored most often.
The European Union Democratic Deficit mainly create two fundamental problems- first one is weak controllability in the decision making procedure of the European Union and the second one is inability of the European parliament to be involved with the procedure of EC legislation.
EU’s Democratic Deficit, it may be perceived or real, but the main reason behind it is EU’s institutional architecture, which introduced a circulatory decision making process, but hardly utilizing the European citizen into the process. It is a compounding situation where the key policy-making bodies often arrange an informal negotiation themselves as a part of policy making process, which is sometimes less transparent and sometimes unpredictable. Regarding the decision making process some scholars have keenly pointed out that the process heavily depends on consensus between actors. Qualified majority voting and unanimity are being practiced yet now for council votes and only small minority actor groups can easily through backs any policy, which leans, too far to one side of the political spectrum. Many commentators put the same opinion that the European Union belongs an inadequate powers and decision making rules in the field of justice and home affairs. None of European paliament and national parliament can operate the democratic scrutiny effectively.
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