Citizen Representation in the EU after the 2009 elections to the European Parliament: The Role of National Parliaments

The EU has a democratic deficit and some reforms have been proposed to increase the involvement of national parliaments in its political system.

The existence of the EU implies a dispossession of national parliaments that has only partly been resolved at the European level. This classic definition of a democratic deficit leaves two possible solutions. The immediate solution is to increase the power of the European Parliament (EP) so that it can fully compensate the loss suffered by national parliaments. However, problems relating to the EP 19s legitimacy and its currently limited capacity to engage with citizens restrict this solution 19s possibilities. A second option is to involve national parliaments in the EU. This option is not problem-free, given the limited capacity of national parliaments to equally represent European citizens regardless of their nationality. As a result, a third option is proposed: cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments. In this respect, the establishment of a representative office for national parliaments in Brussels can be considered the best possible investment.