Immigrant and Ethnic Minorities and the EU's ‘Democratic Deficit’

Abstract This article explores the links between the development of European Union immigration policy and the frequently analysed ‘democratic deficit’. It shows that immigration policy at EU level emphasizes tighter control of the numbers of immigrants and asylum‐seekers, rather than the development of measures to combat racism and xenophobia. This emphasis stems from the provisions of the Single European Act, as free movement of EU nationals was seen as necessitating firm control of external frontiers. The consequence of this policy, it is argued, is accentuation of both institutional and participatory aspects of the ‘democratic deficit’.