Does the EU have democratic legitimacy?

In the European Union, there are two sources of democratic legitimacy: the European Parliament, chosen by the electorates of the individual EU countries; and the Council of the European Union (the “Council of Ministers”), together with the European Council (of heads of national governments), that represent the peoples …

Did the French vote against the EU constitution?

The French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held on 29 May 2005 to decide whether France should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. The result was a victory for the “No” campaign, with 55\% of voters rejecting the treaty on a turnout of 69\%.

Is Europe a democratic country?

As of 2015, all European Union member states are representative democracies; however, they do not all have the same political system, with most of the differences arising from different historical backgrounds.

What does lack of democracy mean?

A democratic deficit (or democracy deficit) occurs when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments) fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation where representative and linked parliamentary integrity becomes widely discussed.

Which two countries rejected the constitutional treaty in a referendum?

Notwithstanding the rejection in France and the Netherlands, Luxembourg held a referendum on 10 July 2005 approving the Constitution by 57\% to 43\%. It was the last referendum to be held on the Constitution as all of the other member states that had proposed to hold referendums cancelled them.

Which countries rejected the 2004 European Union Constitution so that it could not go into effect?

While it was not explicitly called a European constitution, the treaty addressed a number of issues that had been central to the 2004 EU draft constitution, an initiative that was scuttled after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it in 2005.

Is the EU referendum result legitimate?

The net consequence of these lies and misrepresentations is that the EU referendum result can have no real democratic legitimacy, as it was greatly influenced by lying and misleading the electorate.

Is the European Union a democracy?

On the face of it, the EU has a democratic structure. The European Commission is not elected but it is fully accountable to the European Parliament. And all the EU member states are represented in the Council of Ministers.

What do you think about the European Commission?

The European Commission itself is made up of civil servants recruited from all the member states, although there are always difficulties in recruiting Commission officials from Britain because so few qualified candidates can speak another European language. The EU does fall down on transparency.

Why are smaller states over-represented in the European Parliament?

Smaller states are over-represented in the European Parliament and voter turnout at elections is usually significantly lower than turnout for national government elections – although this is hardly the European Parliament’s fault.