THERE IS no democratic deficit within the EU but rather a deficit in the way the workings of the EU are communicated to the general public, Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche argued yesterday.
Speaking during a roundtable debate at the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin, Mr Roche said more effort should be made to "demystify" the EU.
"It is a reality that very few people out there understand it," he told a conference held by the Political Studies Association of Ireland.
The "communications deficit" had become even more evident in the debate on the Lisbon Treaty, which, he said, had been characterised by misleading claims by some No campaigners.
"There would be much less room for distortion and mendacious commentary if there was better communication about Europe," he said.
Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald, whose party is opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, countered that it was "wishful thinking" to believe the democratic deficit within the EU was just a communication issue.
"It's not a matter of communication but a matter of structure," she said, arguing that there was a "huge void" between the EU institutions and citizens.
Describing her party's relationship with the EU as one of "critical engagement", Ms McDonald said its approach was unique in Irish politics where challenging or debating the EU is seen as "treacherous".
Asked about the 1987 Crotty judgment, which ruled that changes to EU treaties requiring an amendment to the Constitution necessitated a referendum, Mr Roche said "nothing was as good" as having the people involved in ratifying a treaty.
Fine Gael's Lucinda Creighton said she had "mixed views" on the ruling because it meant referendums on complex treaties were often clouded by unrelated issues.
Ms McDonald said the process needed to have "the democratic imprimatur of the people" at every stage. "The Lisbon Treaty is a contested project and it should be," she added.
Deirdre de Búrca of the Green Party bemoaned the fact that instead of a steady, evolving debate on EU issues, Irish people experienced a "crash course" in European affairs with every referendum.