The European Parliament as an institution: difficulties in consolidating the democratic principle in the European Union

This paper aims to analyze the process of formation of the European Parliament in recent years. The poor people response to queries for European parliament elections suggests that the public has left aside the project for a united Europe. Despite the benevolence of the supranational project in the EU Member States citizens' mind national problems continue to dominate, and the paradigm of nation-state remains. Therefore it is necessary to avoid the nationalist drift by most sovereign states governments intending to impose individual solutions to problems in the globalized world. Also, citizens' initiatives might be taken into account, in the margin of political parties, by upholding noble causes different to market benefits. But, most of all, those changes are needed to influence political leaders, lobbying for European democratic values and the need for a real debate on pending issues to build a united Europe: political integration, its geographical definition, the idea of a strong European government, European politics, the role of regions, among others.