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JACEKSARYUSZ-WOLSKI
DemocraticLegitimacyandtheEuropeanParliament:
TheChallengesoftheUpcomingElections
Introduction
InMay2014,Europeanvoterswilldeterminethecompositionofthe
EuropeanParliament(EP)forthenextfiveyears.Itwillbe,inmanyrespects,
alandmarkelectoraleventfortheEU.ForthefirsttimesincetheLisbon
Treatycameintoforceattheendof2009,thehousewillbecomposedof
751MEPs(downfromthecurrent766,anexceptionresultingfromCroatia’s
accessionin2013),electedacrossthe28EUMemberStates.Moreover,
theEP’sseventhterm,currentlycomingtoanend,hasgivenampleproof
thatunderthenewtreatyframeworknotonlywerethenominatepowers
oftheinstitutionboosted,but,moreimportantly,thattheEPhasasserted
itsconfidenceasco-legislatorandbudgetaryauthority,onaparwiththe
council,andabodysettingtheguidelinesfortheEUtotacklethemain
challengesaswellasdeterminingthebasicchoicesinforeignandsecurity
policy.Evenmoreimportantly,theEUinstitutionalset-uptoemergeafter
theelectionswillbe,toagreaterextentthanbefore,dependentontheresult
ofelections.Followingtheletterofthetreaties,theEPandtheEuropean
Councilwillhavetostrikeacompromisetoelectthenewpresidentofthe
EuropeanCommission,andfurtherattributionofthehighest-rankedEU
postswilllargelydependontheresultofthisprocess.However,problematic
issuesrunalongsidetheopportunitiesthatlieahead.Aftermorethanfive
years,overthecourseofwhichtheEUagendawasprimarilydeterminedby
theeconomiccrisis(withfinancialmarketscalmingdownbutpoliticaland
economicchallengesyettoberesolved),popularsupportfortheEUproject
tendstobeindecline.Agrowingnumberofpollssuggestthatwearelikely
toobserveasurgeofprotestvotesandvotingabsenteeism,bothofwhich
representbigchallengesfortheEuropeanUnion.Asaconsequence,inthis
TePolishQuarterlyofInternationalAfairs,2014,no.1
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