Historical Perspectives on the Democratic Deficit(s)

The chapter discusses the history of the democratic deficit and its evolution until the 1980s. It is based upon one assumption and has three major aims. The assumption is that in the burgeoning debate on the EU democratic deficit, historians had little to say on its origins and developments, as well as on its evolving meanings. For this reason, the first aim is at discussing the emergence of an early definition of “democratic deficit”. Rather than considering it as an innate feature of the institutions created by the Treaty of Rome, it argues that a specific and clear democratic deficit emerged as the unintended consequence of three decisions adopted at the 1969 Hague Summit, namely the granting of budgetary powers to the not-yet-directly elected European Parliament, the strengthening of majority voting within the Council, and the accession of more sceptical Europeans to the EEC as a consequence of the 1973 enlargement. Second, it will discuss the evolution of the meanings that “democratic deficit” assumed to scholars, politicians and civil society in those years. Finally, it will highlight the main, although partial, solutions elaborated to cope with it before the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty.