As for the "right" amount of social welfare system, it is difficult to judge. One key question becomes how much is a population willing to be taxed in order to fund the social safety net? In general, it seems that the Japanese model is more sustainable in that it combines taxes, governmental funding, and business contribution to find a funding balance that provides comprehensive care to the population while not reaching the egregious tax burdens of many European countries.

References:

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Blau, J. And M. Abramovitz. (2004). The Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy. Oxford: Oxford

Democratic Deficit and the European Union - Comparing the institutions and political systems of Europe to other modern democracies one finds that they do not always appear particularly democratic and they often do not share a clear locus of political power or control. This phrase has particular meaning when discussing the European Union, which is unique in terms of political organization. It is not a federal state, but takes on some of the powers of such; it negotiates international treaties, has a single currency, establishes laws that go beyond country borders, and has an economic system that tends to act and react as a solid bloc as opposed to several individual...

Some say that the EU is unique in that when compared to an ideal democratic nation-state it has a democratic deficit, but when compared to organizations like the World Bank, United Nations, or WTO, it has a democratic surplus.
Voter turnout in EU elections continues on a downward trend with only about 25% of the electorate participating. One of the basic reasons is that the electorate still thinks (read votes) nationalistically, leaving broader solutions and issues to political organizations. Most EU elections are seen as not following more localized needs and, for some countries and areas, this means lack of interest because of the perception of issues that matter less on the micro scale. In addition, even some of the politicians in the various European political organizations acknowledge that there is a general lack of awareness of the direction the EU is taking and how that will impact the local citizen. When this is combined with rather vague legislation and policy, much of the electorate remains ambivalent about individual elections.

References -- Text (Chapter 17) and "Voter Turnout in European Election Lower than Ever," (January 29, 2010). EurActiv.Com. Cited in: http://www.euractiv.com/en/elections/voter-turnout-european-election-lower/article-117868.