University of Bucharest

Faculty of Political Science

International Relations and European Studies (IRES) II

Is the European Union a democracy?

Student name: Roic Denisa-Sabrina

EU Governance course
The democratic principle is fundamental for the European Union and it is one of the elements
on which the Union lays on as it is presented in article 2 of the Treaty on European Union
(TEU): “the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom,
democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights”. 1 With the aim of
promoting peace and a state of well-being among citizens, the EU has been regarded as an
example of stable democracy, flourishing economic and political system for decades.
However, the EU has encountered numerous crises in recent years, raising the issue of a
"democratic deficit" and skepticism on the union's democratic character. According to Eur-
Lex the notion of “democratic deficit” reffers to the idea that “EU institutions and their
decision-making procedures suffer from a lack of democracy and seem inaccessible to the
ordinary citizen due to their complexity” 2. Today, Europeans contest the EU's very existence
and its goals more than ever.
On top of this issue are some of the most challenging experiences the union has had to deal
with. Brexit, the Covid-19 sanitary and economic crisis, the rise of far-right movements in
countries like Poland and Hungary, and more recently the war in Ukraine together with the
legalisation of insect protein for human use and potential plans to establish a digital euro have
shaped Europeans’ opinion on the union’s capability to respect and integarte everyone’s
needs in line with its principles. The pandemic and its implications led to a decline in the
sense of democratic values through the restrictions imposed by the governments. Other
limitations created by the pandemic are related to the public's access to accurate information.
Some countries tried to impose constraints on media freedom and to squelch journalists while
spreading misinformation about the vaccine. Other debates on democratic backsliding in
Europe are linked to the political sphere, namely the far-right waves that spread across
Europe and which aims to undermine some aspects of European democracy such as the
freedom of media and judiciary independence. Critics of the EU and those who argued for the
UK’ withdrawal from the union invoked the “undemocratic”, “run by unelected bureaucrats”
ideas to justify their decision alongside with the lack of European identity.3
As a union of 28 member states it is, indeed, complicated to comply with all countries’
expectations and demands. The EU comprise a big surface of the continent and it includes
countries with different history, cultural elements, socioeconomic status and political
systems. At first look and even in its essence, the European Union is a democratic structure.
1
CONSOLIDATED VERSION OF THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION, Official Journal of the European Union, Title
I, article 2, October 26th, 2012, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506-
fd71826e6da6.0023.02/DOC_1&format=PDF
2
DENNISON, James, Why did the UK leave the EU? : the state of the science of explaining Brexit, in John Erik
FOSSUM and Christopher LORD (eds), Handbook of the European Union and Brexit, Cheltenham : Edward
Elgar, 2023, pp. 26-41[Migration Policy Centre] - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/75247 Retrieved from Cadmus,
EUI Research Repository

3
Alan Butt Philip, “How Democratic Is the European Union?,” The Conversation, May 20, 2016,
https://theconversation.com/how-democratic-is-the-european-union-59419.
The Council of Ministers exercises various executive powers and it consist of ministers
representing the member states. It performs its legislative sessions in public, although its
proceedings resemble those of a diplomatic conference rather than a typical debate in normal
democratic legislature. The European Council is composed by heads of state or government
together with the presidents of the Council of Ministers and of the European Commission.
The European Parliament is the only body where MEPs are directly elected by citizens and it
is the most democratic institution of the EU as meetings are open to the public and voting by
simple majority is the routine. Finally, the Commission has been called the “watchdog”
because it has to ensure that EU’ laws and treaties are applied by its members. EU’s main
institutions are definitely representative, but they might fall short on transparency and
accountability.4 According to the concept of “democratic deficit” the European Union and its
organs lack democracy because of their complex system of operation. In this sense, the EU
cannot be defined in the same way as other democractic structures in the world.
The democratic system for governing the EU is undermined by its complex mix of
intergovernmental and federal elements that makes the decision-making process more
complicated and distant from the citizens. In this respect, we can argue that the EU is not the
most democratic entity, but it still has less downsides than many national governments.
Undoubtedly, the union is going through a difficult time. The refugee crisis, the escalating
atmosphere of instability created on its borders, the euro-zone crisis, and the emergence of
euroskepticism are key obstacles that have and will continue to have a big impact on the
integration process at the European level. Many people struggled to see the benefits of
integration, economic growth and security as well as social and environmental protection are
just a few of the positives. There is still a need to redefine the institutions and their functions,
so they would involve active participation of the citizens. The European Union proved to be
successfull in achieving its economic aim and to preserve citizens’ rights through the
incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights despite critics on its shortages. To answer
the question addressed, I would say that the EU is a democracy where people can still enjoy
their freedoms and have their rights respected as well as protection coupled with benefits of
being part of the European project. It might not be the perfect entity, but on the long-term it
demonstrated both its strengths and weaknesses.
Bibliography
Borchardt, Klaus-Dieter. “Fundamental Values of the European Union.” Essay. In The ABC
of Community Law, 11–17. Luxembourg: EUR-OP, 2000. ISBN:9282878031
Butt Philip Alan. “How Democratic Is the European Union?” The Conversation, May 20,
2016. https://theconversation.com/how-democratic-is-the-european-union-59419.
Danzig, Jon. “Why the EU Is More Democratic than the UK.” EU ROPE, August 6, 2021.
https://eu-rope.ideasoneurope.eu/2021/08/06/why-the-eu-is-more-democratic-than-the-uk/.

4
Eur-Lex (2022). Glossary of summaries: Democratic deficit. European Commission, available here: https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/democratic-deficit.html
DENNISON, James, Why did the UK leave the EU? : the state of the science of explaining
Brexit, in John Erik FOSSUM and Christopher LORD (eds), Handbook of the European
Union and Brexit, Cheltenham : Edward Elgar, 2023, pp. 26-41[Migration Policy Centre],
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/75247
Eur-Lex (2022). Glossary of summaries: Democratic deficit. European Commission,
available here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/democratic-deficit.html
Gonzalez, Maria. “Is the EU a Democratic Entity?” European Student Think Tank, April 29,
2022. https://esthinktank.com/2022/04/29/is-the-eu-a-democratic-entity/.
Hatton Anna. “Democracy in the EU”, CIVITAS Institute for the Study of Civil Society
2015, last update June 2016, https://www.civitas.org.uk/content/files/CIT5.-Dem.pdf