EU Federalism and Constitutionalism: The Legacy of Altiero Spinelli

by Andrew Glencross (Editor), Alexander H. Trechsel (Editor), Stefano Bartolini (Contribution by), Pier-Virgilio D'Astoli (Contribution by), Sergio Fabbrini (Contribution by)

Overview

EU Federalism and Constitutionalism: The Legacy of Altiero Spinelli, edited by Andrew Glencross and Alexander H. Trechsel, represents the first book-length study of the travails of the implementation of federalism at the European level from the perspective of Altiero Spinelli's ideas and his political life, which were both devoted to a federally united Europe. It is also a timely publication given the protracted struggle to implement a new EU institutional architecture—the 2009 Lisbon Treaty—that is already being tested by the fallout from the global financial crisis. This fallout has brought into stark relief the tensions within the EU over the question of enhancing solidarity and federal unity or remaining a looser association of sovereign states. Hence by examining the successes and failures of federalism within the EU system, the book seeks to explain not only how the EU has reached its current impasse but also how it may fare in the future. To achieve this objective, the book takes an interdisciplinary approach that covers all three dimensions of the European project: historical, legal, and political. In this fashion, Andrew Glencross and Alexander H. Trechsel's EU Federalism and Constitutionalism: The Legacy of Altiero Spinelli offers a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the history, evolution, and future of federal principles and institutions in the European integration process.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739133347
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	10/21/2010
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Andrew Glencross is in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen. Alexander H. Trechsel is professor of political science and the first full-time holder of the Swiss chair in Federalism and Democracy at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy.

Table of Contents

List of Tables vii

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction Alexander H. Trechsel xv

Part I The Constitutional Dimension

Chapter 1 The "Spinelli Treaty" of February 1984: The Start of the Process of Constitutionalizing the EU Paolo Ponzano 3

Chapter 2 Taking "Constitutionalism" and "Legitimacy" Seriously Stefano Bartolini 11

Part II The Comparative Dimension

Chapter 3 Revisiting Altiero Spinelli: Why to Look at the European Union through the American Experience Sergio Fabbrini 35

Chapter 4 Altiero Spinelli and the Idea of the U.S. Constitution as a Model for Europe: The Promises and Pitfalls of an Analogy Andrew Glencross 65

Part III Political Actors and the Institutional Dimension

Chapter 5 The Question of Treaty Architecture: From the "Spinelli Draft" to the Lisbon Treaty Bruno de Witte 87

Chapter 6 François Mitterrand and the Spinelli Treaty of 1984: Support or Instrumentalization" Jean-Marie Palayret 103

Conclusion Altiero Spinelli and the Future of the European Union Andrew Glencross 117

Bibliography 131

Index 143

About the Contributors 149

Editorial Reviews

Federalism has been a regular benchmark throughout the history of European integration: a goal for some, a threat for others. This timely volume, written by renowned experts, offers a first assessment of its influence on the institutional development of the EU. Definitely worth reading to understand how Europe might be moving ahead in the future.

Renaud Dehousse

Consisting of a series of thought-provoking analyses by distinguished scholars, this volume situates Spinelli's thought and actions within both a comparative and contemporary framework. The complex tensions which inform the relationship between federalism, constitutionalism, and functionalism in the European Union are crisply delineated such that both scholars and practitioners will profit from viewing Spinelli's legacy anew.

Alberta Sbragia