The crises hitting many European democracies take root in causes that are both cyclical and structural, national and international. The democratisation of the European Union is making constant progress, and yet the economic and financial crisis, the advance of globalisation and the rise in new communication networks have put European political systems to the test. Since it is based on national democracies to a great extent, the EU is also affected by the current trend of destabilisation. Moreover, the European construction has  been subject to a popular demand for increased transparency and participation. Nevertheless, it is important to stress the difference between a popularity deficit and a democratic deficit, but also to highlight the divisions between European peoples as an element of a political crisis, rather than a democratic crisis.
In this Policy Paper, Yves Bertoncini, president of the Mouvement Européen France and European Affairs Consultant, highlights the fact that national democracies disrupted by a triple legitimacy crisis, while explaining that the democratic deficit of the EU will not be a never ending debate and that we should become more united in diversity.

This Policy Paper was written for the Vision Europe Summit 2017.
Vision Europe is a consortium of think tanks and foundations collaborating since 2015 to address some of the most pressing public policy challenges facing Europe. Vision Europe other participating organizations are: Bertelsmann Stiftung (Germany), Bruegel (Belgium), Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal), Chatham House (UK), Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra (Finland), and CASE – Center for Social and Economic Research (Poland).
For more information about the project please refer to www.vision-europe-summit.eu and follow the twitter hashtag #VisionEurope.