Abstract
For years, the European construction appeared to be legitimate through a 'permissive consensus' since no significant opposition to the integration process was to be noticed. Nevertheless, a major debate underlined a 'democratic deficit' in the 1980s, denouncing that the European Community had been built without the people. Indeed, at the beginning of the integration process, neo-functionalists, such as Monnet, who were actively engaged in the building of the EU, did not see the necessity to include the people in this project. For instance, Mitrany, who theorized functionalism, had a technocratic planning vision of the European Community implying a government by experts, which was consequently undemocratic (Sewell, 1966, p.42). Nevertheless, essentially since the ratification of the Maastricht treaty and the debate it created, European issues became politicised. From this point, the public increased its interest towards the EU and was willing to participate in the integration process.
