Democratic deficit

A democratic deficit is considered to be occurring when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments) are seen to be falling short of fulfilling the principles of the parliamentary democracy in their practices or operation where representative and linked parliamentary integrity becomes widely discussed: State-corporate crime: incorporated governance. The phrase was coined by UK Member of the European Parliament Bill Newton Dunn in a pamphlet in the 1980s.
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The democratic deficit is a concept invoked principally in the argument that the European Union suffers from a lack of democracy and seems inaccessible to the ordinary citizen because its method of operating is so complex. The view is that the Community institutional set-up is dominated by an institution combining legislative and government powers (the Council) and an institution that lacks democratic legitimacy (the Commission - even though its Members are appointed by the Member States and are collectively accountable to Parliament).

As European integration has progressed, the question of democratic legitimacy has become increasingly sensitive. The Maastricht, Amsterdam and Nice Treaties have triggered the inclusion of the principle of democratic legitimacy within the institutional system by reinforcing the powers of Parliament with regard to the appointment and control of the Commission and successively extending the scope of the codecision procedure.

In the meantime, two wider initiatives designed to bring Europe closer to its citizens have been launched.
Following the Nice European Council (7-10 December 2000), a broad public debate on the future of the Union has been started, in which citizens can take part, and a European Convention, convened by the Laeken European Council, has been asked to examine, among other things, the various aspects of democratic legitimacy.

See:

•Debate on the future of the European Union 
•European Convention 
•European Parliament 
•Governance
•Institutional balance
•Confirmation of the European Commission
•National parliaments
•Clarity of the Treaties (simplification of the Treaties)
•Subsidiarity
•Transparency (access to documents) 

It is often said that the EU's decision-making system is too remote from ordinary people, who cannot understand its complexities and its difficult legal texts. The EU is trying to overcome this "democratic deficit" through simpler legislation and better public information, and by giving civil society a greater say in European policymaking. Citizens are already represented in EU decision-making via the European Parliament. For further details go to "glossary".