Development of the concept of democracy in the European Union and its international interaction

European Union, foundation of which is traced back to the aftermath of theSecond World War has entered into the political integration process by the end of1980s. In this process, which has gained momentum during the 1990s, deepening andincrease in the powers of the European Union have been accompanied by achallenge, namely the democratic deficit question. This problem, which is alsoreferred to as lack of democratic legitimacy is still a topic of an ever-growingdiscussion. Although some steps have been taken against this problem since thesigning of the Single European Act (with signing of the treaties of Maastricht,Amsterdam, Nice), the question seems to be still on the agenda.In the treaties adopted so far, this problem is sought to be overcome byincreasing the powers of the European Parliament. The reason for which such effortshave failed so far is the fact that the democratic deficit question is a consequence of along and complex process which cannot be simply reduced to purely institutionallevel. Above all, democracy requires the existence of a public sphere in which acommon identity is shaped along with communication and dialogue. Given that theEU is a 25 member organisation it seems more difficult than imagined to create acommon public sphere and identity. However, as shown by the Euro barometeranalyses reflecting the people?s ideas, the people support the EU and regard it asdemocratic. If the EU parts from the fact that creating a nation requires common lawsand a rational culture to be shaped with a pluralist approach, it can overcome theseproblems in the long run.Key Words: 1- European Union 2- Democracy Deficit 3- European Citizenship 4- PublicSphere 5- European Identity