collegial European executive appointed by national governments . The Council could approve Commission proposals in most matters through qualified majority voting ( QMV ), but unanimity was required to modify them . On some issues , unanimity was required to adopt a proposal . The European Parliament was merely asked for an opinion on some items of legislation , and it had no say at all on the appointment of the Commission .
So , when , in 1979 , voters first elected the European Parliament , they were effectively asked to choose members of a debating forum , with no substantive powers on legislation . Parliament did have the right to dismiss the Commission in a vote of censure by a two-thirds majority , and to reject the budget – important but unwieldly powers that could scarcely be used on a day-to-day basis .
Many felt that such a system , whereby ministers alone could adopt legislation without requiring the approval of any parliament , suffered from a democratic deficit , a criticism not surprisingly shared by most of those elected to serve in the European Parliament . They became the vanguard for change .
Electing Parliament transformed it from the previous , somewhat sleepy assembly composed of members of national parliaments , who were able to devote only a small part of their time to it , into a livelier and more active Parliament . It effectively created a new corps of elected representatives , coming from every main political party in Europe and engaged full-time on European issues . They were not just active in Brussels and Strasbourg : they also brought a more informed debate on Europe into their respective national parties , influencing the debate back home , at least in political circles , and sometimes beyond . This helped shape the attitudes and positions of national parties and governments , not just on some specific issues , but also , to a degree , on the fundamentals of Euro-
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