European Democratic Legitimacy

What is meant by the phrase “democratic deficit” with regard to the European Union? Why is the voter turnout in elections for the European Parliament so low?

The phrase “democratic deficit” with regard to the European Union is a concept which focuses on the view that the institutional organization is mainly dominated by government powers and a legislative. When referring to government powers, the main focus is on the Council of the European Union. The European Commission is said to be lacking in democratic legitimacy by critics.
The voter turnout in elections for European Parliament has shown to be alarmingly low in recent decades. One of the main reasons for this low voter turnout in the elections is due to the fact that very few people capable of electing are actually doing so. The greatest known decrease in voter turnout was between the years 1994 and 1999. Through this five year period, the voter turnout had decreased from 56.8 percent to a much lower 49.8 percent. This downward trend in voter turnout has been occurring since 1979. In 2004, the election was mainly fought over national issues, which resulting caused it to be the lowest voter turnover in an election in European history.
The alarming trends of low voter turnout in European elections could possibly hinder the economic and national growth of many nations. Government officials feel that this low voter turnout may also complicate the future negotiations on the EU currency. Many believe that these low turnouts are caused by insufficient information campaigns put into place before the EU referenda and needs to possibly be followed up, reviewed, and improved upon. The low voter turnout of elections on European Parliament have many officials believing that it may hinder any new developments and needs to be solved immediately.