IV Observations, 35 The Crumbling of European Democracy

Talking about a “Democracy Deficit” in and of Europe went out of fashion sometime in the mid-2000s. Historically, such talk was principally linked to the gap between the rapidly increasing spheres of competences and governance powers of the European Union and a concomitant lack of powers of what was perceived as its principal democratizing institution—the European Parliament. That gap constituted the “Deficit.” But, the powers of the European Parliament were progressively enhanced in successive revisions of the Treaties constituting the European Union, not least...