..in fact it is fewer than the number of staff employed by a typical medium-sized city council in Europe" ("The European Commission.") the European Commission has not remained untainted from corruption charges either. In fact the biggest scandal in the history of the EU occurred in 1999 when the entire body of the Commission had to resign in the face of serious allegations of fraud, mismanagement and nepotism (Perry 28).
Another frequent charge against the European Commission is its alleged "democratic deficit." Since the Commission's highest body, i.e., the Commissioners and its President, is appointed rather than elected, concern has been raised about the lack of democracy in the institution. Partly in response to the criticism, the framers of the European Constitution enhanced the democratic character of the Commission, albeit in a limited manner, by allowing its President to be chosen by the European Parliament, which is an elected body (Bermann 5). However, since even this is an 'indirect' election, the criticism about EU's 'democracy deficit' has not gone away and the 'sole right' of the unelected Commission to initiate legislation is considered to be particularly undemocratic.
Works Cited
Agencies of the European Union." Europa. 2008. May 27, 2008. http://europa.eu/agencies/index_en.htm
Bermann, George a. "Executive Power in the New European Constitution."
Altneuland: The EU Constitution in a Contextual Perspective, Jean Monnet Working Paper 5/04, http://www.jeanmonnetprogram.org/papers/04/040501-13.pdf
Cabinet." European Commission: Civil Service. 2008. May...
European Union I believe that all politics create some kind of estrangement, particularly when large entities such as the European Union are at issue. The fact that power struggles dictate most of the current relationships between political entities and even individuals and their citizenry makes it difficult for a general individual to identify with a large entity of powerful heads of state that apparently pursue only their own personal agenda. In addition,
European Union Describe how the EU is governed, i.e., its institutions The European Union (EU) is a unique cooperation of 27 states which is in the form of economic and political partnership. This came as a result of a series of treaties and commitment of member states in integration through the harmonization of laws and adoption of common policies on quite a number of issues. The sovereignty of the member states have
European Union's Emission Trading System What is the stated purpose behind the EU ETS? The EU ETS has been a cap and trade method made to incentivise economical cutbacks in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) coming from carbon-intensive industrial sectors as well as electrical power generators. Proof shows that the executive load (the expense of checking, confirming and validation of emissions and costs to government bodies) involving the EU ETS upon smaller sized
European Union - Business in Europe European Union * Competitive advantages of a European area in a chosen Industry and Porter's Five Forces * Personal impressions and reflections on what was learned? The European Union is made up of several countries, and all these countries have one single aim, which is to promote and develop business relationships within Europe and also with the rest of the world, in today's world of globalization. When one wishes
Secondly, a more fundamental reimagining of the public sphere as a concept will undoubtedly help to dismantle some of the destructive and disruptive assumptions governing the Commission's response to public dissatisfaction. By focusing on "debate" as the central tenet of a healthy public sphere, the European Union's leadership is able to avoid facing any real public criticism, because that criticism may be treated as an illegitimate and uninformed debate position
European Parliament is the representative assembly of the European Union (EU) and the only body that is directly elected through universal suffrage by the citizens of its member states. The institution was first created in 1952 when it was known as the 'Common Assembly' and initially represented the European Coal and Steel Community. Later other institutions such as the European Economic Community (EEC) were formed that eventually merged and became
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now