Europe’s democratic deficit and democratic surplus

Abstract

The European Union’s founders learned about politics in the late nineteenth century, long before democracy became the touchstone for legitimacy. They relied on the traditional authority of the state to negotiate agreements with other countries. Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide de Gaspari saw themselves as trustees of the common interests of Europeans. European institutions were launched for the people, not by the people. Reliance on traditional authority meant that elites saw no need for extensive public debate or a referendum to justify national governments signing the treaties that created European institutions.