An analytical study of the democratic deficit of the EU

Abstract

Following the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty and the debate on the future of Europe, I believed that a study on the democratic deficit of the European Union could enable me to understand better the skeptical queries aimed at the Union's democratic credentials which gathered momentum in the last years. The issue regarding the democratic deficit gained force back in the early 1980s, and has since increased in significance, as more competences were transferred to the European level with successive new entries into the Union resulting in escalating inefficiency. There have been various contributions on the matter, and, through a review of this literature, this study aims at providing a reference on the democratic deficit in the European Union from inception, with particular attention to contributions made by treaties and, more significantly, the Constitutional Treaty, ensuing in a period of reflection. The study provides a collection of arguments for further analysis as the European Union continues on its journey towards popular democratisization.