The democratic deficit in the European Union

This study aims to comprehensively analyze the European Union's democratic legitimacy problem and the associated debates on the democratic deficit. The European integration process, which began in the post-World War II period with the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community, has gradually evolved beyond economic cooperation and acquired a political dimension. As the EU has transformed into a supranational structure, its unique institutional framework and decision-making mechanisms have generated incompatibilities with traditional nation-state-based democratic norms, leading to intense discussions in the literature under the concept of the democratic deficit. This study examines these debates through both federalist and realist perspectives, addressing not only the different views on the democratic deficit but also extensively analyzing the institutional and societal dimensions of democratic legitimacy. Furthermore, the study explores how the structural characteristics of EU institutions contribute to this deficit and evaluates the effectiveness of new mechanisms designed to enhance citizen participation. In this context, participatory tools such as the European Citizens' Initiative, the right to petition the European Parliament, and the Conference on the Future of Europe are scrutinized in terms of their capacity to respond to the legitimacy challenge. By adopting a multidimensional perspective on the EU's democratic legitimacy debates, the study seeks to open a discussion on the institutional and societal foundations of the democratic shortcomings underlying the current crises faced by the Union.