The Gentle Appearance of a Historic Idea
The European Union adopted a series of amendments in the Treaties of Rome, Maastricht, and Lisbon, and as a result became more and more democratic. However, democratization of what was initially the Community and later the Union was always associated with the acquisition of greater powers by the European Parliament. What started out as something which was not much better than a good debating society progressed to become a self-confident co-decisionmaking entity. This became apparent in the recent past, and especially with regard to the appointment of the EU Commissioners at the beginning of 2010.