Well before the crisis, the European Union was widely perceived to be suffering from a “democratic deficit.” Now, with many Europeans blaming the EU for painful austerity measures, that complaint has grown more powerful – and Europe’s political leaders believe that they must act now to address it.
金融危机的逻辑迫使欧洲进一步加深一体化，这意味着，需要为政治表达找到一种新机制。恰恰就在危机之前，欧盟普遍受到“民主不足”的诟病。如今，许多欧洲人都因痛苦的财政瘦身而对欧盟破口大骂，上述诟病声浪日高，让欧洲各国首脑们觉得必须马上着手应对。