If you only count direct democracy as true democracy, then not even Switzerland are truly democratic! We have a representative democracy. If you don't, as an American, know how the EU judicial system works, then I'd be happy to briefly describe why it's very democratic!
We have a commission elected from the elected governments across Europe and a parliament elected directly at national elections. Unlike the US that only has 2 major parties, just about all European countries have many more parties, not making it a red/blue choice. Most countries even elect politicians to the parliament that want out of the EU like UKIP in England or in the case of Denmark the peoples movement against the EU on the left wing and The Danish Peoples Party on the right wing. Both parties are represented in their own group in the parliament.
But back to the the law making that I refereed to as being almost being too democratic and which slow down the legal process. Each proposal has to go through 3 rounds of treatment before in can become a law. In each round, lobbies and organizations on both sides of the matter has to have to time to research, propose changes and have the time to talk with the politicians, not only in the EU but also in the separate countries. The countries also has to have some time to figure out how it effects them and given the chance to protest. All this means that it takes about 2 years on average for a bill to become a law, but the democracy doesn't stop there!
On top of this there are councils to make up guide lines for the European policy of the future. There are meetings of the prime ministers / president, but also just the separate ministers of fishing or agriculture.
But wait, there's more! Most of the laws that comes from the EU are actually not laws but directives! That means that they are not forcing legislation on to the countries, but rather giving the national governments a time frame to make their own rules on a topic. For instance, at what range farmer can use maneuver close to a river.
I can keep going if there's something specific you're wondering about? I've also lived in the US if you want to compare?
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@anonymousskimmer
If you only count direct democracy as true democracy, then not even Switzerland are truly democratic! We have a representative democracy. If you don't, as an American, know how the EU judicial system works, then I'd be happy to briefly describe why it's very democratic!
We have a commission elected from the elected governments across Europe and a parliament elected directly at national elections. Unlike the US that only has 2 major parties, just about all European countries have many more parties, not making it a red/blue choice. Most countries even elect politicians to the parliament that want out of the EU like UKIP in England or in the case of Denmark the peoples movement against the EU on the left wing and The Danish Peoples Party on the right wing. Both parties are represented in their own group in the parliament.
But back to the the law making that I refereed to as being almost being too democratic and which slow down the legal process. Each proposal has to go through 3 rounds of treatment before in can become a law. In each round, lobbies and organizations on both sides of the matter has to have to time to research, propose changes and have the time to talk with the politicians, not only in the EU but also in the separate countries. The countries also has to have some time to figure out how it effects them and given the chance to protest. All this means that it takes about 2 years on average for a bill to become a law, but the democracy doesn't stop there!
On top of this there are councils to make up guide lines for the European policy of the future. There are meetings of the prime ministers / president, but also just the separate ministers of fishing or agriculture.
But wait, there's more! Most of the laws that comes from the EU are actually not laws but directives! That means that they are not forcing legislation on to the countries, but rather giving the national governments a time frame to make their own rules on a topic. For instance, at what range farmer can use maneuver close to a river.
I can keep going if there's something specific you're wondering about? I've also lived in the US if you want to compare?