Democratic Responsiveness in the EU

Whereas a vast literature has focused on the relationship between opinion and public policy at the national level, in particular in the USA, comparatively little attention has been given to the issue of the democratic responsiveness of the European Union. To what extent do EU policies take into account the preferences of citizens? The few studies that have focused on this issue have highlighted a relationship between the overall volume of legislation and the evolution of public support to integration. In this article, we plead in favor of a differentiated approach by policy area, which would allow a more subtle assessment of reactions to opinion shifts, and provide evidence of a lack of responsiveness in the areas under study.