Learning from the EU Constitutional Treaty
Subtitle: democratic constitutionalization beyond the nation-state
By: Ben Crum
Series: Routledge advances in European politics
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9780415681872; 9780203156018
Subjects: Constitutional history; POLITICAL SCIENCE / General; Constitution; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy; Treaty on European Union; Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Comparative; European Union
Description: "The negative results of referenda on the European Union (EU) Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands, and subsequent forced compliance via the Treaty of Lisbon raise complex questions about democratic constitutionalism. This book provides a full analysis of the EU Constitutional Treaty process, grounded in broader political theoretical debates about democratic constitutionalisation and globalization.As international organizations become permanent systems of governance that directly interfere in individuals' lives, it is not enough to have them legitimated by the consent of governments alone. This book presents an evaluation of the present EU Treaty of Lisbon in comparison with the original EU Constitutional Treaty, and analyses the importance of consent of the people, asking if saving the treaty came at the cost of democracy. Drawing first-hand on the referendum in the Netherlands, this book outlines an original political theory of democratic constitutionalisation beyond the nation-state, and argues that international organizations can be put on democratic foundations, but only by properly engaging national political structures.<EM>Assessing the EU Constitutional Treaty</EM> will be of interest to students and scholars of European Union politics, history and policy"--

"The negative results of referenda on the European Union (EU) Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands, and subsequent forced compliance via the Treaty of Lisbon raise complex questions about democratic constitutionalism. This book provides a full analysis of the EU Constitutional Treaty process, grounded in broader political theoretical debates about democratic constitutionalisation and globalization"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Avoiding democratic constitutionalization in the European Union; title: Democratic constitutionalisation beyond the nation-state: a normative theory; title: Competing visions of the future of the European Union; title: The European Convention as a forum of supranational constitution-making; title: A constitutional treaty for a union of citizens and states; title: The external accountability of the European Convention; title: Bringing the constitutional treaty back to the peoples; title: The Treaty of Lisbon: saving the treaty at the cost of democracy; title: Conclusions and prospects.