The Contribution of the Neofunctionalist and Intergovernmentalist Theories to the Evolution of the European Integration Process

The aim of this paper is to emphasize to what extent the twogrand theories – neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism – haveunderpinned and shaped the European integration process since theinception of what is today called the European Union. By giving anoverview of how these two major theoretical streams have been depicted in the work of several scholars corroborated with some of the most relevant historical facts and changes which occurred in the fifth decades of European integration, this essay assesses both the evolution of these two main theories in the post-war era and their impact on the development of the European project as envisaged by the founding fathers of the European Community, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman. These two tenets are useful in providing us with the analytical tools to explain the discrepancies in the EU policy-making across different issue areas and over time, rather blurred in many regards.