Abstract
According to many commentators and journalists, the European Union would be challenged by some crisis, each of them having different natures: for instance, European regions, whereas they could be a good complement for European governance, are increasingly perceived as a threat for the European administration, as the smallest scales of administration are trusted to have more legitimacy for citizens. At the time where "big government" offers some advantages, the EU has to face this pressure that the democratic election of the European Parliament, since 1979, did not entirely solve. As a consequence, the feeling of "European citizenship" is rather weak at the beginning of the twenty-first century, since national or even membership is much more concrete for many people. Considering this, the need of a real impulsion from the European authorities is certain: the recent democratic disapproval of the European Constitution by voters of France and Netherlands can be perceived as proofs of this "far-distant" Europe that is still unable to create a genuine and undisputed adhesion from 25 countries.
