The reform of the European Electoral Act and the legislative package Democracy and Transparency
A contribution to strengthening the European demos
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6093/2421-0528/10159Keywords:
Conference on the Future of Europe, European Electoral Act, European elections, European Parliament, European citizenship, democracy, European political partiesAbstract
The Conference on the future of Europe (COFE), the very first initiative of participatory democracy conducted on a European scale between 2021 and 2022, highlighted a still limited knowledge of the European Institutions and their functioning. Yet, it generated a strong demand for participation, once more knowledge be given on the rationale behind European integration and the challenges that the EU will have to face in the future. The initiative intended to bring citizens closer to the EU Institutions and foster the diffusion of a stronger European political awareness. A sentiment that is still not very widespread, but which could certainly be fueled by a revision of the European electoral process, such as to make the European elections a real moment of choice at the Union level, and not just a second-level electoral process linked to the internal political dynamics of each Member State. The European Parliament has repeatedly sought to harmonize the frameworks and practices of the electoral process, but Member States have so far resisted further integration in this direction. Reflection on the possible reform of the 1976 Electoral Act resumed in July 2021. At the same time, negotiations were started on a package of measures, the so-called Democracy and Transparency, presented by the Commission with the intention of creating an updated, more solid and uniform legal framework, to broaden participation in the democratic debate of the Union and at the same time strengthen the guarantees of transparency and public scrutiny. Judging by the progress of work, it is unlikely that the negotiations will be concluded in time for the next European elections. However, the combination of these reforms, if approved without excessive downsizing, could give the EP elections a truly European character, to the benefit of the entire integration process