Europeans Losing Faith in Their Parliament BRUSSELS - When cracks recently appeared in beams of the European Parliament's main chamber, forcing its closing, one member, Nigel Farage of the U.K. Independence Party, proclaimed that he would "work for the day that the whole democratic facade of the European Parliament is shut as well." Mr. Farage is an avowed anti-European known for extreme views. But even for Europeans who do not actively resent the Parliament, it has become a powerful symbol of how institutions designed to build a united Europe have faltered as the project faces the most serious crisis of its 60-year history. A poll conducted last November found "a sharp decline" in the European Parliament's image compared with a similar poll in 2008, when Europe's economic crisis bloomed. The Eurobarometer, conducted by TNS, found that 26 percent of the 26,594 people sampled from across Europe had a "negative" view of the Parliament, an increase of 9 percentage points. The Parliament's "diminishing legitimacy and authority," said Fredrik Erixon of the European Center for International Political Economy, a research group in Brussels, was "really very worrying at a time when people have been protesting in the streets against diktats from Europe to fix their economies." Indeed, in a push for "more Europe" as the solution to the euro crisis, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and others have sketched elaborate visions of an elected European president and executive overseen by a strengthened parliament. But the current state of the Parliament - including corruption scandals and the appearance of excessive lobbying - has added to doubts about the likelihood of that prospect. The Parliament, with 754 members, is the only directly elected part of the apparatus that runs the European Union. But the percentage of eligible voters who have cast ballots every five years has declined to just over 40 percent from more than 60 percent in less than a quarter of a century. In the meantime, Mr. Erixon said, "lobbyists have stepped into the vacuum left by the weakening link between citizens and parliamentarians," who are popularly resented for their web of generous allowances and the influence they wield over regulations. On many days parts of the parliament building have the feel of a glitzy trade show. Business lobbies organize conferences in meeting rooms and host meals in the dining rooms at the invitation of friendly members. They also mount exhibitions - some in seeming violation of the Parliament's own guidelines. The Parliament is not alone in breeding disenchantment with Brussels. Last month, John Dalli, the European Union's commissioner for health and consumer protection, resigned after investigators concluded that he had probably known about an attempt by a lobbyist to solicit money for a multimillion-dollar payoff aimed at easing a ban on chewing tobacco. Mr. Dalli denies any wrongdoing. The episode arrived after a string of similar controversies in the Parliament this summer when the authorities in Austria, Romania and Slovenia accused representatives from their nations of abusing their positions. Those accusations followed a scandal that began last year when the members were caught on camera apparently prepared to propose amendments in return for cash in a sting operation conducted by The Sunday Times of London. Ernst Strasser, a former Austrian interior minister who resigned after the revelations, had demanded an annual advisory fee of €100,000, or $128,000, for influencing legislation and could face a 10-year prison term if found guilty, the Vienna prosecutor has said. Thomas Kralik, a lawyer for Mr. Strasser, did not return calls seeking comment. Zoran Thaler, a former foreign minister of Slovenia, also resigned after the revelations. The Slovenian authorities filed a case in May concerning bribes in the Parliament but declined to name the person involved, citing the country's privacy rules. Mr. Thaler said by telephone that he was confident the Slovenian authorities would find no wrongdoing.