European economic governance: deficient in democratic legitimacy?

Abstract

This article seeks to offer an overview of the structures of democratic legitimisation in EU economic governance, and to consider their adequacy, examining in particular the question of the extent of parliamentary participation in such governance. Although much progress has been made in establishing throughput legitimacy and creating processes furthering the interests of accountability, transparency and efficacy, it will be seen that considerable deficiencies continue to exist, at both European and member state level.

Keywords:

• Democracy
• legitimacy
• accountability
• Eurozone
• economic governance
• European Parliament
• national parliaments

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Dr Diane Fromage and Dr Ton van den Brink for their work in making this special edition happen, to Professor Thomas Christiansen and the anonymous referees for their perceptive feedback, and to my wife Madeleine for her – as ever, invaluable – help.

Notes

1. See in relation to the Bundesbank, Marsh 1992; in relation to Japan and the United States, Jančić 2017, 158 and in relation to the Bank of England (regarding monetary policy) e.g. Burnham 2017.

2. See I. Pernice 2017, 131; Jančić 2010 and see the Lisbon Treaty ruling, BVerfG, 2 Bve 2/08 and 5/08 and 2 BvR 1010/08, 1022/08, 1259/08, 182/09, judgment of Second Senate, 30 June 2009 at para. 228 et seq.

3. BVerfG, 2 BvR 2728/13, judgment of Second Senate, 21 June 2016.

4. See European Parliament resolution of 24 June 2015 on the review of the economic governance framework: stocktaking and challenges (2014/2145(INI)).

5. See e.g. letter of 14 March 2016 by Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly to Eurogroup president, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, President of the Eurogroup, and published online at https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/resources/otherdocument.faces/en/65,359/html.bookmark (last accessed 18 January 2018).

6. See Article 7(3) and para. 21 of the Preamble.

7. See further in this regard, Neuhold et al. (2015).

8. See more generally, Verdun and Zeitlin 2017, 9. The same authors correctly note, however, that peer review by expert officials enhances rather than restricts the scope for democratic debate.