Why the European Parliament should not be abolished

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw recently argued forcefully that the European Parliament suffered from an ineradicable ‘democratic deficit’ and should be abolished, to be replaced by an assembly of national parliaments. Simon Hix argues that the evidence shows that the European Parliament successfully handles a massive policy agenda, and in most countries engages strongly with European citizens. Reforming the way that the UK elects its members of the European Parliament so as to give voters more choice (and parties less control) would best tackle the poor electoral accountability of Britain’s MEPs.