The Question of Standards for the EU: From 'Democratic Deficit' to 'Justice Deficit?'

Abstract

Should the debate about the EU’s “democratic deficit” now be replaced by a — new — debate about the EU’s “justice deficit?” Is it, in other words, advisable to shift the focus away from (or beyond) democracy to a (search for a) more comprehensive — EU-wide and perhaps genuinely EU-specific — “substantive ideal of justice” (as the editors of this volume invite us to ask and may even be suggesting)? In what follows, I wish to strike a cautionary note as regards this shift of paradigm and will argue that the focus on democratic procedure remains appropriate.