Deens onderzoek: Europese Unie bedreigt de democratie (en)

A team of high-level Danish researchers, political scientists and others have concluded that lack of democracy in the EU is the biggest challenge to Danish power structures.

This was the final conclusion - published yesterday (30 October) - of a series of books analysing the development of power structures in Denmark.

EU co-operation puts pressure on the sovereignty of the Danish parliament and the population has very little trust in the EU, notes head of the investigation, Professor Lise Togeby.

"Eventually the Danes will turn into good Europeans, but there is a long way from a well functioning national democracy to alienation in the EU", according to Professor Togeby.

Since Danish EU membership in 1973, European cooperation has spread to most policy areas, only a few are now excluded from EU regulation, the report states.

Despite comparatively strong parliamentary control, EU decisions continue to appear very opaque and difficult to influence.

National sovereignty under pressure anyway

National sovereignty is under pressure. However, that would be the case even without EU-membership, the report states.

Generally the power of the government and its administration have been strengthened to the cost of the parliament.

The core reason for lack of democracy in the EU is the lack of popular participation in European decisions.

According to the Danish constitution, there may be no power "over or next to" the Danish parliament - the Folketing.

However the formal competences of the parliament have been reduced throughout the last 30 years, the report states.

One researcher Peter Munk Christiansen claims the parliament now tends to take over responsibilities that before belonged to the local authorities.

The analysis also states national challenges to democracy. The class divided society has turned into a society with a stronger focus on the individual, which has led to new political imbalances.

The whole analysis was initiated by the Danish parliament, which fears an overall loss of power. 150 researchers worked through six years to gather the information.