歐美研究季刊 第45卷第3期

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EURAMERICA Vol. 45, No. 3 ( September 2015), 357-408
© Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica
Democratic Implications of
the Treaty of Lisbon

Chien-Yi Lu
Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica
No. 128, Sec. 2, Academia Rd., Taipei 11529, Taiwan
E-mail:
Abstract
How did the Treaty of Lisbon fare in addressing the
EU’s democratic deficit? The main criticism regarding the
democratic implications of European integration pre-Lisbon
is epitomized by the concern that merely lumping together
various channels or mechanisms of democratic representation
and public control will not necessarily result in adequate
democratic representation. Instead, poorly coordinated
organs may interfere with, and undermine, one another. I
examine the degree to which the Treaty of Lisbon improves
or worsens the democratic deficit by analyzing the reforms
made with reference to the European Parliament, the
Council, the European Council, and national parliaments.
With respect to the European Parliament, the article focuses
on the alleged disconnect between MEPs and the electorate,
and the implications of ordinary legislative procedures on
the legislative pattern and legislative behavior of the EP.
With regards to the Council and the European Council,
attention is directed toward the gatekeeping functions of
national executives in light of the prevalence of trilogues and
Received April 15, 2013; accepted July 22, 2015; last revised July 23, 2015
Proofreaders: Yi-Hsin Lai, Teyi Yu, Chia-Chi Tseng