The European Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) is the only directly elected European institution, and has won new powers for itself that have made it an increasingly important actor in European affairs. Logically, then, the EP should be the one EU institution that has developed the closest political and psychological ties to Europeans, particularly those who worry about the EU’s democratic deficit. And yet most European voters remain disengaged from its work, turning out in low numbers at EP elections, and taking less interest in its work than in the work of national legislatures.