{"id":8872,"date":"2021-01-29T14:07:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T13:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/werteweg.euw.edit-hosting.de\/%f0%9f%a0%b6-trail-station-4-democracy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:02:21","slug":"%f0%9f%a0%b6-trail-station-4-democracy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/%f0%9f%a0%b6-trail-station-4-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83e\udc36 Trail station 4 &#8211; Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8872\" class=\"elementor elementor-8872 elementor-50\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fbf33e1 elementor-section-full_width bulletlist elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fbf33e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-917f43e linkcolor\" data-id=\"917f43e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-56ddace ueberschrift2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"56ddace\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Current relevance<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7f05b24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7f05b24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Democracy under pressure\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-16bffa8 linkcolor elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"16bffa8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Representative democracy has come under pressure from several angles over the past 15 years.<\/p><ul><li><strong>Disillusioned with politics:<\/strong> Many citizens can no longer identify with the programmes and political careerism of the established mainstream parties.<\/li><li><strong>Right-wing populism<\/strong>: As self-proclaimed representatives of the \u2018silent majority\u2019, whose interests are allegedly ignored by a political elite they regard as corrupt and power-hungry, right-wing populist parties attack social minorities, migrants and open societies. Right-wing populism rejects core elements of liberal democracies, such as pluralism, the protection of minorities and freedom of religion.  <\/li><li>E<strong>ndangering the separation of powers:<\/strong> Some governing parties in Europe use their parliamentary majorities to enact provisions that undermine the foundations of the separation of powers in their respective countries (for example, disciplinary measures against judges or changes to electoral constituencies).<\/li><li>By providing information and opportunities for digital participation, <strong>the internet <\/strong>greatly facilitates political participation and informs political opinion. On the other hand, the sheer abundance of options can be overwhelming, and the risk of misinformation and deception is high. <figure id=\"attachment_9642\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9642\" style=\"width: 253px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-777\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/www1.jpg\" alt=\"By providing information and opportunities for digital participation, the internet greatly facilitates political participation and informs political opinion. On the other hand, the sheer abundance of options can be overwhelming, and the risk of misinformation and deception is high.\" width=\"253\" height=\"169\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9642\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by Robert Jones\/ Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure><hr><p><sup>1<\/sup> https:\/\/www.populismstudies.org\/Vocabulary\/right-wing-populism\/<br\/><br\/>  <br><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Right-wing_populism\"><strong>https:\/\/www.bpb.de\/apuz\/286506\/das-wahre-volk-gegen-alle-anderen-rechtspopulismus-als-identitaetspolitik<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong><br\/>zuletzt aufgerufen am 27.2.2026; Frank Decker\/Marcel Lewandowsky, Rechtpopulismus: Erscheinungsformen,<br\/>Ursachen und Gegenstrategien.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de\/en\/right-wing-extremism-and-populism\/s-erscheinungsformen%02ursachen-und-gegenstrategien\">https:\/\/www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de\/en\/right-wing-extremism-and-populism\/<\/a><\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e3466ed ueberschrift2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e3466ed\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is democracy?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-91fb61f elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"91fb61f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-7e4e6ea\" data-id=\"7e4e6ea\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-122c3c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"122c3c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is democracy?<br>Enjoy the explainity-video<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-4ca1c1d\" data-id=\"4ca1c1d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7864a9b elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"7864a9b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=u6jgWxkbR7A&quot;,&quot;yt_privacy&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;show_image_overlay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;image_overlay&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/euwww.eu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/youtube.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:9373,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube.jpg);\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-custom-embed-play\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play Video\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"eicon-play\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d0b561d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d0b561d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In a democracy, citizens, as members of a political community (such as a local authority, a state or the EU), determine who is permitted to exercise power and according to which rules, values and objectives (this is known as popular sovereignty). <br\/><br\/><\/p><p>State power is either exercised directly by the citizens (direct democracy) or delegated to elected representatives (representative democracy). Hybrid forms also exist. <\/p><p>Any exercise of state power must be in the interests of all citizens and in accordance with the values and rules established by them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd591c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cd591c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are typical features of a democracy?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1824b8e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1824b8e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Periodic elections and peaceful transfer of power<\/li><li>Political equality of all citizens and the participation of individuals and groups in political opinion-leading and decision-making<\/li><li>Recognising the diversity of opinions in society (pluralism), freedom of expression and freedom of the press<\/li><li>Accepting the temporary \u2018rule of the majority\u2019 over the minority for the benefit of the community<\/li><li>Separation of powers<\/li><li>Rational, accountable and lawful exercise of power<\/li><li>Political compromise as the result of (often protracted) negotiations between political interest groups<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-651af3e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"651af3e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">There is no such thing as \u2018the\u2019 democracy<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-b4323aa elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b4323aa\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-554adae\" data-id=\"554adae\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d0f3458 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d0f3458\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>There are many different forms of democracy.<\/p><p>Most European countries apply a model called \u2019representative majoritarian democracy\u2019: political parties compete in elections for the votes of citizens in order to secure a majority in the parliamentary assembly. With the exception of Switzerland, there are few elements of direct democracy, such as referendums; these are mostly found at the local or regional level. In European democracies, the protection of the individual and their rights against state arbitrariness, as well as the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches are of paramount importance.  <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-29a34eb\" data-id=\"29a34eb\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-deb9b83 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"deb9b83\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=-vgCMKqXHvnO&quot;,&quot;yt_privacy&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;show_image_overlay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;image_overlay&quot;:{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/euwww.eu\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/youtube.jpg&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:9373,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-custom-embed-image-overlay\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/youtube.jpg);\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-custom-embed-play\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play Video\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"eicon-play\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ea91e2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2ea91e2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Democracy \u2013 a system for participation<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a7bb05 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1a7bb05\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Democracy thrives on participation. Participation begins with ensuring in one\u2019s own daily life that human and minority rights are not infringed upon. Forming one\u2019s own opinion on changing political issues and being allowed to voice said opinion is not an obligation in democracies \u2013 but a civil right sorely missed in dictatorships. When discussing matters with others, one should adhere to democratic rules: listen, respect other opinions, argue rather than rant, and be willing to compromise. Being a member of a political party is one way of keeping democracy alive. Alternatively, we can get involved in a politically active group; these interest groups, too, fulfil important functions in shaping public opinion within pluralistic societies.     <\/p><p>Each citizen has a responsibility to be critical and attentive. Democratic forms of government are not sacrosanct, nor are they so robust that they can withstand all challenges, upheavals and crises (cf. Vorl\u00e4nder, 2017:5). <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b32b2d3 ueberschrift2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b32b2d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Democracy in the European Union<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8a59fb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a8a59fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">A \u2018supranational\u2019 democracy \u2013 that\u2019s a first\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3799bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d3799bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_9643\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9643\" style=\"width: 149px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-913\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/www3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"149\" height=\"133\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9643\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: Peggy u. Maro Lachmann-Anke \/<br\/>Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The European Union (EU) is required to base its policies on democratic standards \u2013 although there is as yet no global precedent for a democracy spanning several nation states. However, there are democratic political systems that share similar structural features with the EU: federal states. <\/p><p>In these, too, formerly independent (sovereign) constituent states are united under a common constitution and have shared institutions that are appointed according to democratic procedures and that make decisions.<\/p><p>Federal states derive their<strong> democratic legitimacy<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>from democratic decisions regarding the basic rules governing the exercise of power at the federal level<\/li><li>from democratic legitimacy in the respective constituent states<\/li><li>from democratic appointment of members to the joint bodies and institutions<\/li><li>rom democratic and constitutional procedures in law-making and implementation<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>The EU resembles a democratic federal state in that:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>ll Member States must be functioning democracies; their governments change in accordance with national election results.<\/li><li>EU legislation operates under a two-chamber system: the directly elected European Parliament, whose composition is determined by all EU citizens in direct elections every five years and who participates in almost all legislative procedures on an equal footing. The Council of Ministers, in which the relevant ministers of the Member States are represented, acts as the second house. Pieces of legislation are created when both institutions agree to a proposal from the Commission.  <\/li><li>There is a clear separation of powers within the EU\u2019s political system (legislative power = European Parliament and Council; executive power = Commission and Member States; judicial power = Court of Justice of the European Union)<\/li><li>he European Parliament monitors whether the European Commission acts in the interests of EU citizens and in accordance with the EU\u2019s values and principles. It can remove the Commission from office by means of a vote of no confidence. <\/li><li>Mechanisms and procedures are based on the rule of law.<\/li><\/ul><p>Some commentators fundamentally deny the EU\u2019s \u2018capacity for democracy\u2019, arguing that there is no \u2018European people\u2019. It is true that there are no models for democratic systems that do not rely on populations who share at least a common language they can use to discuss shared political concerns <\/p><p>However, what is crucial for establishing a democracy is that people see themselves as citizens of a political community whose rules for exercising power they themselves determine and whose political leadership can be changed through elections. These procedures exist at the EU level. There is still room for improvement, because the EU is only slowly evolving\u202ffrom a functional community of states (based solely on negotiations between national governments) into a political community of EU citizens.  <\/p><hr><p><sup>4 <\/sup>Peter Graf Kielmansegg, 1996: Integration und Demokratie; in Markus Jachtenfuchs \/ Beate Kohler-Koch<br\/>(Hrsg.), Europ\u00e4ische Integration, Opladen:47-71<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e391bb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8e391bb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What are the most important areas for democratic reform in the EU?\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca31de4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ca31de4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" id=\"linkcolor\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>EThere has never been an EU-wide <strong>constitutional referendum<\/strong> on the common rules governing the exercise of power. This is because the EU has gradually evolved from an association of states based on international treaties into a political union based on <em>constitutional-style treaties<\/em>. <\/p><ul><li>For historical reasons, only the European Commission can officially propose legislation within the EU. The European Parliament lacks this formal <strong>right of initiative<\/strong>. <\/li><li>There is <strong>no uniform European electoral law;<\/strong> instead, the European Parliament is elected according to 27 national electoral laws, some of which are very different to one another, which sometimes has discriminatory effects towards voters. The European Parliament has long wanted to introduce a uniform EU-wide electoral law for its elections<sup>5<\/sup>, but the governments of the Member States have so far blocked the required EU legislation. <\/li><li>The EU and its institutions are multinational, and it is important that all nations are represented within them. This is why each nation has, for example, at least six MEPs in the European Parliament (e.g., Malta, Luxembourg). As the entire European Parliament may not have more than 750 members, this results in voters from smaller Member States being over-represented in the European Parliament.6 This contradicts the democratic principle of the equality of all votes. But what would the alternatives be? Either the Maltese, due to their small population, would have no MEP, which would be completely undemocratic. Or the European Parliament would have to be vastly expanded: there would need to be around 6,760 MEPs7. Such a congress of nations would not be feasible and far too costly.      <\/li><li>The European Council, comprising the heads of state and government of the Member States, plays an increasingly important role in shaping EU policies: it sets political guidelines, takes increasingly far-reaching decisions in times of crisis and makes key personnel decisions \u2013 all this without being subject to effective scrutiny by the European Parliament or national parliaments. <\/li><li>The idea that the EU, too, should be a \u2018defensive democracy\u2019 still requires further elaboration. Existing procedures, such as Article 7 TEU, which allows a Member State\u2019s voting rights to be suspended in the event of persistent breaches of the EU\u2019s interests and values, prove very difficult to be implemented and also exclude the European Parliament from the decision-making process. <\/li><\/ul><hr><p>5 Art. 223 TFEU <br\/>6 In mathematical terms, each of the 96 German MEPs represents around 855,000 voters, whereas an MEP from Malta only represents around 66,000. This method of vote distribution is known as \u2018degressive proportionality\u2019, meaning that the more voters a country has, the less representative its representation is..<br\/>7 Calculation based on 446 million EU citizens, with one MEP for every 66,000 citizens (taking Malta as the basis) <\/p><p>For more information on the development of the EU democracy have a look at <a href=\"https:\/\/eu-democracy-reform-observatory.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/eu-democracy-reform-observatory.eu\/<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-106bdc3\" data-id=\"106bdc3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" id=\"anregungen\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-362d48a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"362d48a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;sticky&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;sticky_offset&quot;:80,&quot;sticky_parent&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;sticky_on&quot;:[&quot;desktop&quot;,&quot;tablet_extra&quot;,&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;mobile_extra&quot;,&quot;mobile&quot;],&quot;sticky_effects_offset&quot;:0,&quot;sticky_anchor_link_offset&quot;:0}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-44ed4d8\" data-id=\"44ed4d8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e072c0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7e072c0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Learning and Play Area<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8225f5e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8225f5e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Learning with tips, quizzes and interactive elements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-82ac3cf elementor-widget elementor-widget-ucaddon_dynamic_popup\" data-id=\"82ac3cf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"ucaddon_dynamic_popup.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div 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.uc_more_btn{\n  text-align:center;\n  text-decoration:none;\n  transition:0.3s;\n  position: relative;\n  z-index: 1;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .button-on-side{\n  display:flex;\n  align-items:center;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-grid-item-category{\n  display: flex;\n  align-items: center;\n}\n\n.ue-grid-item-category a{\n  display:inline-block;\n  font-size:10px;\n  text-transform:uppercase;\n  white-space: nowrap;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-meta-data{  \n  display:flex;\n  flex-wrap: wrap;\n  line-height:1em;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-grid-item-meta-data{\n      display:inline-flex;\n      align-items:center;\n}\n\n.ue-grid-item-meta-data{\n  font-size:12px;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-grid-item-meta-data-icon{\n  line-height:1em;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-grid-item-meta-data-icon svg{\n  width:1em;\n  height:1em;\n} \n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-debug-meta{\n  padding:10px;\n  border:1px solid red;\n  position:relative;\n  line-height:1.5em;\n  font-size:11px;\n  width:100%;\n}\n\n.uc-remote-parent .uc_post_list_box{\n\tcursor:pointer;\n}\n\n#uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04 .ue-post-link-overlay{\n  display:block;\n  position:absolute;\n  top:0;\n  bottom:0;\n  right:0;\n  left:0;\n}\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"uc_post_list uc-items-wrapper  uc-dynamic-popup-grid\" id=\"uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04\"  >    \t\n  <div class=\"uc_post_list_box\" data-category=\"04-Democracy\">\n  \n  \t    <div class=\"uc_post_list_image\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/about-the-european-parliament\/\" target=\"_self\" title=\"About the European Parliament\">\n          \n            <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Quizbeitragsbild-768x768.png\"  src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Quizbeitragsbild-768x768.png\" alt=\"EUWWW_Quiz_featured_image\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\">\n        \t        \n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \t\t\n  \n    <div class=\"uc_post_list_content\">\n      <div class=\"uc_post_list_content_inside\">\n        \n                \n             \n                         \n        <div class=\"ue-meta-data\">\n                 \n                \n            \n              \n              \n  \n      \n<\/div>      \n               \n                                  \n        <a target=\"_self\"  href='javascrpit:void(0)' data-post-link='https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/about-the-european-parliament\/' data-postid='8772' class=\"uc_more_btn   uc-open-popup\" title=\"\">About the European Parliament<\/a>        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n     \n       \n  \n         <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/about-the-european-parliament\/\" class=\"ue-post-link-overlay\"><\/a>\n   <\/div>\n<div class=\"uc_post_list_box\" data-category=\"04-Democracy\">\n  \n  \t    <div class=\"uc_post_list_image\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/regulars-table-and-politics\/\" target=\"_self\" title=\"Regulars&#039; Table and Politics\">\n          \n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Informationsbeitrag-768x768.png\"  src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Informationsbeitrag-768x768.png\" alt=\"EUWWW_information\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\">\n        \t        \n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \t\t\n  \n    <div class=\"uc_post_list_content\">\n      <div class=\"uc_post_list_content_inside\">\n        \n                \n             \n                         \n        <div class=\"ue-meta-data\">\n                 \n                \n            \n              \n              \n  \n      \n<\/div>      \n               \n                                  \n        <a target=\"_self\"  href='javascrpit:void(0)' data-post-link='https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/regulars-table-and-politics\/' data-postid='8771' class=\"uc_more_btn   uc-open-popup\" title=\"\">Regulars&#8217; Table and Politics<\/a>        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n     \n       \n  \n         <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/regulars-table-and-politics\/\" class=\"ue-post-link-overlay\"><\/a>\n   <\/div>\n<div class=\"uc_post_list_box\" data-category=\"04-Democracy\">\n  \n  \t    <div class=\"uc_post_list_image\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/discussion-2\/\" target=\"_self\" title=\"Discussion\">\n          \n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Diskussionsbeitragsbild-768x768.png\"  src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Diskussionsbeitragsbild-768x768.png\" alt=\"EUWWW_Image Discussion\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\">\n        \t        \n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \t\t\n  \n    <div class=\"uc_post_list_content\">\n      <div class=\"uc_post_list_content_inside\">\n        \n                \n             \n                         \n        <div class=\"ue-meta-data\">\n                 \n                \n            \n              \n              \n  \n      \n<\/div>      \n               \n                                  \n        <a target=\"_self\"  href='javascrpit:void(0)' data-post-link='https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/discussion-2\/' data-postid='8768' class=\"uc_more_btn   uc-open-popup\" title=\"\">Discussion<\/a>        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n     \n       \n  \n         <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/discussion-2\/\" class=\"ue-post-link-overlay\"><\/a>\n   <\/div>\n<div class=\"uc_post_list_box\" data-category=\"04-Democracy\">\n  \n  \t    <div class=\"uc_post_list_image\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/democracy-quiz\/\" target=\"_self\" title=\"Democracy Quiz\">\n          \n            <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Quizbeitragsbild-768x768.png\"  src=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EUWWW_Quizbeitragsbild-768x768.png\" alt=\"EUWWW_Quiz_featured_image\" width=\"768\" height=\"768\">\n        \t        \n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \t\t\n  \n    <div class=\"uc_post_list_content\">\n      <div class=\"uc_post_list_content_inside\">\n        \n                \n             \n                         \n        <div class=\"ue-meta-data\">\n                 \n                \n            \n              \n              \n  \n      \n<\/div>      \n               \n                                  \n        <a target=\"_self\"  href='javascrpit:void(0)' data-post-link='https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/democracy-quiz\/' data-postid='9042' class=\"uc_more_btn   uc-open-popup\" title=\"\">Democracy Quiz<\/a>        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n     \n       \n  \n         <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/suggestions\/democracy-quiz\/\" class=\"ue-post-link-overlay\"><\/a>\n   <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n  <div id=\"uc_post_list_elementor_46b1f04_empty_message\" class=\"ue-no-posts-found\"  style=\"display:none\" >No posts were found<\/div>\n\n<!-- end Post List -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democracy is a system that ensures we are not governed any better than we deserve. (George Bernard Shaw) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8884,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_theme","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"hf_cat_page":[41],"class_list":["post-8872","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-station"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8872"},{"taxonomy":"hf_cat_page","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euwww.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hf_cat_page?post=8872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}