The
European Union owes its existence to the efforts of political elites
who could count on the passive consent of their more or less indifferent
populations as long as the peoples could regard the Union as also being
in their economic interests, all things considered. The Union has
legitimized itself in the eyes of the citizens primarily through its
outcomes and not so much by the fact that it fulfilled the citizens’
political will.
This state of affairs is explained not only by the
history of its origins but also by the legal constitution of this unique
formation. The European Central Bank, the Commission, and the European
Court of Justice have intervened most profoundly in the everyday lives
of European citizens over the decades, even though these institutions
are the least subject to democratic controls.
Moreover, the European
Council, which has energetically taken the initiative during the current
crisis, is made up of heads of government whose role in the eyes of
their citizens is to represent their respective national interests in
distant Brussels. Finally, at least the European Parliament was supposed
to construct a bridge between the political conflict of opinions in the
national arenas and the momentous decisions taken in Brussels – but
this bridge is almost devoid of traffic.
