The Democratic Deficit in the European Union
The Positives and Negatives of the European Union
There are many positive things about the European Union. One of them is the unity between countries. Countries are like a family; if something happens to one country, many others would help and show solidarity. The European Union acts and thinks as one. That’s why they are civilized, and their economy is stable, even with everything that has happened, such as different wars. Wars are extremely costly in many ways.
When it comes to the economy, a huge bonus is the quality of exported products. The transportation system around Europe is also excellent. People can travel around Europe in different ways and at different price points. Another amazing aspect of Europe is security. People feel secure in Europe because they like to do things right and believe that laws should be followed.
Another great aspect of Europe is the quality of salaries. A person with a degree who finds a job will find that the minimum salary is more than enough. Other great aspects of Europe include how health insurance is managed and the European Union’s commitment to considering and being careful with the environment and climate change.
However, the European Union has negative aspects like any other. One of the main ones is the democratic deficit, which has brought consequences and inequality when making decisions. Democracy is extremely important, and somehow many people are left out, and their decisions or opinions are not taken into account.
What is the Democratic Deficit?
Democratic deficit is basically the lack of democracy in the European Nations and its institutions. The European Nations are supposed to be democratic, but they are committing a huge mistake regarding democracy. This is happening in different ways and “places.” One of them is the government or politics, in other words, when people try to elect somebody for a certain job. This is also happening in certain institutions, many of which are part of the government, and others are not. Due to this, there is a certain barrier or tension between the government and the citizens in this area. People from Europe are completely aware of this democratic deficit and are against it because they want to be part of the different decisions made and have the right to participate as the European Nations are supposed to be democratic.
The Democratic Deficit in Electing EU Representatives
When it comes to the democratic deficit in the European Nations, this emphasizes electing someone to represent each country in the EU. Basically, people can elect the parliament of each country. However, this parliament cannot approve any norms or standards of the European Union. The people who approve these norms or laws in all of Europe are the Council of the European Nations or the Ministers of each country. For this reason, it is very unfair that the people of different countries do not get to vote for the person who will represent them in the European Nations, a very high position. For this reason, there is not complete democracy in the EU.
All decisions the European Nations Council takes are extremely vital for all of Europe. For this reason, people feel they are not part of the European Nation’s election or the decisions they take. A very good example is the general decisions this Council makes. One of them was choosing different people for different positions, but nobody voted for them. Some of them were the president of the monetary fund, the president of the European Commission, and the president of the European Central Bank. The countries that are part of it must follow these different decisions made by the European Nations. In other words, these people, not elected by the citizens, will make economic decisions that may affect all of Europe.
The Lack of Democracy in European Institutions
When it comes to the different institutions of the European Nations, they are not democratic either. There are seven different institutions. However, there is only one where the people of Europe choose the people who are part of it: the deputies of the parliament. The other six institutions are not elected by the people but by the Council of the European Nations. Two examples of this kind of institution are the European Central Bank and the European Commission.
Conclusion: The Need for Change
In conclusion, there must be some changes in the European Nations because they promote democracy but are not completely equal. The first and main one is to improve democracy in the institutions of the European nations. The solution to this problem is to apply democracy and let the citizens of each country elect the leaders of the EU. This is important because there should be fairness and equality regarding democracy, and in this way, countries do not have to suffer from random decisions made by an unelected European Nations.