Notwithstanding this danger, the European Parliament has always been a disappointing institution. Sadly, the European Parliament has never fulfilled its promise to bolster the European Union’s legitimacy as a democratic institution. The Parliament has been around in some form since almost the dawn of the European Union, but it was only in 1979 that European voters were given the right to elect its members. But, the European Parliament has not fulfilled that potential. Turnout at European elections has steadily declined, from 62 percent in 1979 to 43 percent in 2014.

Source: New York Times May 25, 2019 18:51 UTC