Abstract
In the negative outcomes of the 2000 referenda on the European Constitution in France and the Netherlands, a deep split has arisen between elites and citizens about European integration. This fact, recognised by the elites themselves, is highly challenging from the scientific point of view. How can we explain the fact that such a historically unique, seemingly successful process is pursued enthusiastically by the political, economic and bureaucratic elites, and seen as a model for the world among some social analysts,2 but accompanied by much more sober, sceptical and critical attitudes among the citizens? Is it true that citizens do not recognise the achievements of integration, as the political elites argue? Or is it simply false that integration has brought with it all the blessings that are ascribed to it? This division is highly problematic also from the viewpoint of the legitimacy of the European Union. Even a huge new political community such as the EU is based on feet of clay if it is not supported by a clear majority of citizens. Both its stability and its capacity to act will be seriously undermined if it does not posses an adequate degree of identity, that is, a consensus on its basic characteristics and its ultimate aims.
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