The European Constitution - A Failed Project?

When two EU member states rejected the new European constitution debate over the document started again and more questions arose. Do these rejections mean that the idea of a common European constitution has failed forever? Are there alternatives? Do we need a European constitution at all? What should one look like?  

These were just a few of the questions which Prof. Kirchner dealt with during his recent presentation, held on the premises of the Institute for Free Enterprise.  

Both the talk, and the lively discussion following, focused on the idea of a Two-speed Europe, which would reflect the preferences of the European people and which is best realised in the constitutional model of concentric circles. A constitution following this concept would be based on civil liberties and the common European market. The European Constitutional Group, of which Prof. Kirchner is a member, developed this as a proposal for a revised European constitutional treaty. It would allow further integration driven by small groups of member states.  

Prof. Kirchner's presentation can be found:  

Europäischer Verfassungsvertrag - ein gescheitertes Projekt?  

The Proposal of the European Constitutional Group:  

Proposal for a Revised Constitutional Treaty  

Autor:  

• Sascha Tamm, IUF