Confronting the Democratic Deficit in the European Union: The Potential of Europarties

Abstract

The European Union is a political and economic organization that symbolizes a unique collaboration between sovereign states. Originally confined to six Western European countries, the EU has since engaged in multiple waves of enlargement and now serves as the transnational governing body for 27 nations and their citizens. The EU is widely considered the cornerstone of European stability and prosperity through the introduction of an integrated market and its aid in democratizing Eastern Europe after the fall of the iron curtain. Nonetheless, in recent years, the EU has begun to experience upsets to the legitimacy of its democratic system. Despite a generally prosperous situation across Europe, the democratic deficit has contributed to the rise of populist, right-wing nationalist, and anti-establishment political parties in the recent EU elections, some of which harbor Eurosceptic sentiments.