Several small political groupings, including Europe’s main Euroskeptic group, will be eliminated from the European Parliament if a proposed amendment is adopted. Under the proposal, all political groupings must be made up of at least 30 members representing at least seven different countries.

The pan-European Euroskeptic grouping Independence and Democracy (Ind/Dem) has only 23 members—fine under the current rules, which require a 20-member, 5-country minimum. Under the new rules, however, it would lose its speaking rights, committee positions and significant funding—privileges that come only from being an official political grouping. The conservative nationalist Union for Europe of the Nations (uen) would also lose its political grouping status.

Many politicians claim this move would be undemocratic. “Welcome to your future. This shows an EU mindset that is arrogant, anti-democratic and frankly scary,” said Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, a member of the Ind/Dem group. “These people are so scared of public opinion they are willing to set in stone the right to ignore it. Freedom requires the governing elite to be held to account. They must be getting very worried if they are enacting such dictatorial powers for themselves.”

Even members of the European Parliament who oppose groupings like Ind/Dem and uen have spoken out against the proposal.

“Whatever one’s views about their politics, it cannot be argued that these small groups do not represent a strand of European public opinion,” said Andrew Duff, leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrat Euro-MPs and a prominent EU federalist. “If the European Parliament is to be the legitimate forum for post-national democracy, all sorts of minority opinions have to be given effective, if proportionate representation.”

Nevertheless, the proposal seems almost certain to be approved, thanks to the backing of Europe’s center-left and right parties, which account for 64 percent of the vote. A vote is scheduled for July 9.

The European Union is not a democratic institution. Several years ago, the Irish voted “No” to the Nice Treaty. The EU refused to accept the will of the people, making them vote a second time in order to obtain the “correct” outcome. Eurocrats also went 0 for 2 in France and the Netherlands when they tried to garner public approval for the EU constitution. They responded by cloaking much of the same legislation in the Lisbon Treaty, which is now stomping its way through European legislatures, and, except in the case of Ireland, avoiding referenda altogether.

Democracy gets in the way of the EU. In order to function more efficiently, Europe must become less democratic. Watch for this trend to be reflected in future headlines.