Can the European parliament ever break out of the cycle of failing public interests and legitimacy?

Résumé du document

In one of his speeches, Pat Cox, the President of the European Parliament said ‘Turnout across Europe [in 1999] was higher than in the last US Presidential Elections, and I do not hear people questioning the legitimacy of the presidency of the United States.'. Since 1979, indeed, the European Parliament has been the only pan-European, directly elected body. Its powers have increased with successive decisions of the European Court of Justice and amendments to the treaties that define the political life of the European Union. However, paradoxically, turnouts in European elections are worryingly low and democracy seems to be in trouble, considering the lack of public interest for the European Assembly. Democratic deficit concerning the European Parliament can be defined through three main elements. The first point is the feeling of a lack of representation by this institution since the Parliament seems to have less power than the Commission and the Council whereas it is the only body to be elected. Secondly, people are not aware of what happens within the European Parliament, nor do they know much about its competence.

Extraits

[...] National parliaments have progressively become concerned at this loss of influence and have come to look for better national control over their governments' European activities and closer relations with the European Parliament. These measures can be considered as a way of restoring lost influence and making sure that Europe is build on democratic principles. On its side, the European Parliament has in general taken the view that considerable relations with national parliaments would help to strengthen its legitimacy and bring Europe closer to the citizen. [...]

[...] If people cannot think as Europeans, the Parliament will always remain a technocratic institution for most people. Governments and national parliaments must then explain to their citizens how the European Parliament works and why it does not threaten national sovereignty. As a direct consequence of the lack of legitimacy of the European Parliament, the new draft European Constitution introduce some new elements. The “democratic challenge” is one of the reasons why the European Union is producing a new constitution, designed to make the union easier to understand, more open and more efficient. [...]

[...] Can the European Parliament ever break out of the cycle of failing public interest and legitimacy? In one of its speeches, Pat Cox, the President of the European Parliament said ‘Turnout across Europe [in 1999] was higher than in the last US presidential election, and I do not hear people questioning the legitimacy of the presidency of the United States.'. Since 1979, indeed, the European Parliament has been the only pan- European, directly elected body. Its powers have increased with successive decisions of the European Court of Justice and amendments to the treaties that define the political life of the European Union. [...]

[...] At last, the European Parliament was progressively given a power of control. The Treaty of Rome had already recognized the right for the Parliament to vote the censorship of the Commission but the Parliament's control has been more emphasized through the discussions following the intervention of the EU President, every six months, by written and oral questions asked to the Commission and the Council. The Maastricht Treaty added the consultation of the European Parliament when the occasion arises the designation of the President of the Commission. [...]

[...] However, eventually, the European Parliament does not have one of the fundamental powers given to an Assembly since it cannot legislate. The European citizens may then think it as no real power. The Parliament seems then to be more a chamber of guardians than a chamber of law-makers. To solve this problem, it seems very important that the European Assembly cooperates with the national parliaments of European members states, in order to increase its accountability. National parliaments should indeed continue to cooperate with the European Parliament. [...]