Round Table Summary
Ways out of the crisis: the Future of European democracy
The expert round table “Ways out of the crisis: the Future of European democracy”, organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation in cooperation with Central European University’s School of Public Policy, the Green European Foundation and Ecopolis Foundation was attended by approximately 20 participants, mainly academics and policy professionals. The first section, dealing with the future of European democracy, was animated by a debate between those who contend that there is a “democratic deficit” in the European Union and those who do not share this view. However, both sides of the discussion agreed that the adoption of mechanisms aimed enhancing European institutions’ legitimacy and credibility (such as the adoption of a common European electoral law or the introduction of trans-European candidate lists and party nominations for the Presidency of the European Commission) would be a welcome move. The section concluded with a lively discussion between participants who claimed that the fiscal compact, Six Pack and Two-pack represent the limits of supra-national competency and those who believe that the need to improve Europe’s global competitiveness necessitates the transfer of more powers to the supra-national level.
The second section focused on the European Union’s ability to confront threats to democracy, in particular its relationship to the de-democratization process in Hungary. While participants agreed that European institutions’ room of maneuver is legally limited and that intervention from Brussels is not unproblematic, there was a consensus that this does not warrant non-action. Since the EU (as a democratic community) has the obligation to safeguard democratic rights and values in all member states, it should be prepared to intervene in case national authorities breach these fundamental principles. The discussion ended on a note of caution, with several participants warning that the emergence of two-speed Europe could entail a lesser focus on the periphery, which in turn may create incentives for autocratic leaders to “copy the current Hungarian government's example”.
