Initiative for Europe Handbook 2008

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INITIATIVE FOR EUROPE Direct Democracy in the European Union For the former foreign minister of Germany, Joschka Fischer, there was never any doubt: the European Union is too big for direct democracy. But Fischer is profoundly wrong. With the introduction of the new European Citizens’ Initiative modern direct democracy is about to take off in Europe, argues Andi Gross. Size matters. But size is not the determining factor in deciding whether democracy is altogether possible or not. It is, however, an important factor in deciding how best to organise democracy – to answer the question: what has to be done so that everyone can really take part in democracy? This is the question we have to ask ourselves in a Europe of 27 or more countries, of more than 430 million inhabitants, and of the many different languages which are spoken here. Europe is not too big for democracy Since the time, around 200 years ago, when the idea of democracy resurfaced and began to occupy the hearts and minds of ever greater numbers of people – not merely as an interesting theory, but as a practical project – the question has been raised as to what is the best size for a good democracy. Many still appear to believe that Rousseau was right when he said: the smaller the better. Before the French Revolution, the French monarchy was convinced that France was too big for democracy. Today, many people think that Europe is too big to be organised democratically. The appropriate size for a democracy is not a matter of geography. Whether democracy is possible in this or that geographical area depends primarily on the will of the people concerned, and secondarily on their cultural capacities. Are people able to express their views? Are they able to debate issues, are they responsive to each other, can they listen to each other? Are they curious about and interested in the circumstances of their own lives and those of their fellow-citizens? Do they have good newspapers, and radio and TV channels, which increase their understanding of each other and strengthen their capacity to examine, understand, and also change their circumstances? Are they able to make political judgements? Can they analyse problems and see how they can be overcome? Do the media monitor and challenge those who exercise political and economic power? It is the answers to these (and similar) questions which are decisive for the development of democracy. I think that in respect of the European Union the answer is clear: if European democracy is stuck in a rut it has nothing to do with the capabilities of the citizens. They are perfectly capable of playing their part in creating a strong European democracy – based on a mature parliamentary system complemented with direct-democratic rights. The obstacle to achieving this goal does not rest with any deficiency in the capabilities of the citizens of the 27 member states, but with the opposition of the various national elites to the idea of bringing about a truly transnational democracy. This opposition manifested itself clearly during the first half of 2007, when the projected plan to introduce a European constitution was sacrificed by a significant majority of the EU's heads of state and government in favour of just another EU treaty. This was no small loss, for a constitution has an integrating force. It is an agreement between citizens (as sovereigns) – whereas treaties are merely between states and their governments. There has never yet been a democracy without a constitution. If European integration is ever to be anything more than a project by and for the elites, there will have to be a European constitution. We can only hope that the institutional regression – which was clearly at work within the EU during 2006 and 2007 – has not utterly sabotaged the future of the project for a European constitution. It would still be possible to incorporate into the forthcoming 'reform treaty' a new popular right which would allow, let us say, 10 million European citizens to launch a European constitution-making process by means of what would be a European citizens' constitutional initiative. 43
INITIATIVE FOR EUROPE That would make a major contribution towards implementing direct democracy at the transnational European level. It is therefore worth pursuing in detail the question as to what provisions must be put in place, particularly at the European level, in order to ensure that in future every citizen can make use of European direct-democratic rights – and not only those who have plenty of money or influence, or who are already well-organised. Some hard-hitting reflections on the current situation Before we can examine the best way of introducing direct-democratic rights in the EU and of arriving at a citizen-friendly process for European legislation, we have to take stock – with no punches pulled – of the current democratic deficit at the transnational EU level. Lack of legitimacy of the EU The legitimacy of a political institution has a number of different sources. An important source is the quality of the relationship between the institution and the people who are affected by it. In the EU this relationship is poor – much too poor. We can summarise it as follows: • citizens feel politically impotent in the EU; there is an enormous political gap between them and the institutions. • the EU is dominated by elites, creating what from the perspective of the individual citizen can be understood as a social gap. • the EU is not structured in a federated and decentralised way as is the rule in federal states such as Canada and Switzerland, but is highly centralised – which produces a structural gap. • although the common European public space is actually bigger than is often maintained, it is still weak, resulting in an emotional gap, not only between the citizens and the institutions, but between European citizens themselves. • anyone who has spent time in Africa, America or Asia will be in no doubt that there is such a thing as a separate European identity. But from the perspective of someone on the outside looking in, Europe is assessed 'antithetically', in terms of its differences from other cultures, whereas we should be trying to create and reinforce a sense of identity based on what we have in common, as a means of narrowing the cultural gap between us. • to this extent, the development of a sense of belongingness and solidarity between people in Europe has lagged far behind the growth of economic integration. What is direct democracy really about? If we are considering how to set up direct-democratic systems within the EU in the most fruitful way, we have to be aware of what is special about direct democracy. Regardless of the level at which it is implemented, we can summarise what is essential to it as follows: • discussion and reflection • power-sharing • individual and social learning • active citizens and political transparency • integration of diversity without losing the special qualities of the different identities • (political) power is used to persuade, not to dominate or dictate • in the political process citizens get to know each other – and themselves • the system is more open to wider concerns (greater content) and to a larger number of players 44
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