ABSTRACT
No government exists in isolation. Increasingly, national policies must be conducted in co-operation with neighbours and international partners if they are to be successful. The classic model of the nation-state encounters significant difficulties in adapting to this reality. Its ‘sovereign’ nature means that granting power to intergovernmental organisations is difficult for both practical and political reasons. The experiences of the Member States of the European Union are clear evidence of this. Although few deny the rationale behind the creation of supranational institutions to govern pan-European activities, the development of the EU has been difficult. The institutions created have evolved without a direct democratic link to the population, leading to the creation of a democratic deficit. Attempts to reduce this deficit through the creation of democratic European institutions have proved politically impossible.
