When France said "Non" to the EU constitution in 2005, shock waves rippled across Europe. We all thought French voters had struck a mortal blow to the text. Europe would have to be rebuilt anew.

It's a bit odd, then, to watch the same document, a constitution in all but name, signed last December with not so much as a murmur from the people of Europe. The Lisbon Treaty still has to be ratified by all member states but, so far, only Ireland intends to hold a referendum. It will probably vote in favour.

The Dutch, who previously voted no, are far more relaxed this time around. The French seem happy to trust their new president to make the right decision for them. Even the Poles, whose reputation for obstinacy makes the Brits look like Euro-hugging federalists, have been pretty quiet on the issue.

So where did all the Eurosceptics go? Did they all shrug a collective sigh of resignation and accept the inevitability of the treaty, or have they simply taken their eye off the ball?

The fact is that it is difficult to raise the temperature of popular opinion about an issue that no one really understands. And that's the point. When EU leaders sought to explain their reforms to voters, they received short shrift, so this time around they have made the Lisbon Treaty as opaque and complicated as possible.

Web daily Europolitics agreed, noting that the main objective of the Lisbon Treaty was to push it beyond the comprehension of most people by making it "obscure and complex".

In some countries, charismatic leadership has pushed other issues onto the agenda. In France, for example, President Sarkozy has talked tough on Europe, giving people less reason to be concerned by treaty reform. The mood music has changed.

Euroscepticism has been replaced by Euroambivalence. In the meantime, the EU has acquired a president, increased its powers and smoothed the way to increasing them further still. It's an amenable environment for federalism. EU leaders will be hoping it stays that way.