The Influence of the European Parliament and the Indifference of Its Voters: A Spurious Correlation?

This paper defends the view that as paradoxical as it may seem, the negative correlation between participation in elections to the European Parliament and its empowerment is not fortuitous. The lack of visibility and legibility of MEPs’ activities does not outweigh the downplaying of European elections. In return, not only does this electoral indifference justify the empowerment of the European Parliament, but it also helps it use its new prerogatives. As a result, its participation in community policy making is both facilitated by the electoral distance of the assembly and rooted in the will of the institution to demonstrate its utility.