Open AccessHow do Lithuanian Citizens Perceive the European Parliament? EU Legitimacy Issue and Trust in the European Parliament
Author(s) -
Sima Rakutienė,
Ingrida Unikaitė-Jakuntavičienė
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
croatian international relations review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.16
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1848-5782
pISSN - 1331-1182
DOI - 10.37173/cirr.26.87.3
Subject(s) - parliament , legitimacy , political science , european union , lithuanian , politics , legislature , institution , public administration , political economy , law , sociology , economics , international trade , linguistics , philosophy
Thisarticle examines the problem of legitimacy within the EU political system andfocuses on the political power and recognition of the only one directly electedEU institution – the European Parliament. Historically, being the weakerhouse of the EU legislative system, throughout the last decades, theEuropean Parliament has increased the political authority dramatically. Thesepolitical changes should have risen the participation of the EU citizens in theelections and the legitimacy of this EU institution. Analysing the Lithuaniancase, based on the qualitative interviewing of politicians and quantitativesurvey of citizens, the authors claim that while most of Lithuanians recognisethe significance of the European Parliament and the turnout in the Europeanelections has increased, the European Parliamentary elections remain, however,of secondary importance.