Rejecting the EU Constitution? : From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon

by Pusca, Anca M.

• ISBN13: 9781932716542
• ISBN10: 1932716548
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-01
• Publisher: Central European Univ Pr

Summary

Rejecting the EU Constitution?: From the Constitutional Treaty to the Treaty of Lisbon follows the EU constitutional reform process from its controversial early incarnation, the EU Constitutional Reform Treaty, to its current, less controversial version, the Lisbon Treaty. It focuses on the three initial "no" votes (Dutch, French, and Irish) to the original and the current treaty, and the different reasoning behind each. Assembling the opinions of policymakers, academics, and journalists, the work presents the debate between the "crisis callers" -those who see the EU constitutional reform process as a sign of political crisis within the EU-and the "normalizers"-those who see it as no different from the previous EU reform processes. Through this debate, the work emphasizes why the EU Constitutional Treaty is particularly important and assesses the extent to which it is likely to significantly change both the functioning and, perhaps more importantly, the outlook of the EU. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Anca M. Pusca, Ph.D, is a lecturer in international studies in the Department of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research focuses on the European Union, post-communist Central and Eastern Europe, and the experience of transition. Her publications include Revolution, Democratic Transition and Disillusionment (Manchester University Press); European Union: Promises and Challenges of a New Enlargement (IDEA Press); and articles in journals such as Alternatives, Global Society, International Political Sociology. Journal of International Relations and Development, and Perspectives.

Table of Contents

Is the Constitutional Project Dead? An Introduction	p. 1
Rejecting the EU Constitution: Between Reason and Emotion	p. 15
On Europe's Representation: A Symbolic Interpretation of Rejecting the Constitution	p. 16
The EU Treaty Reform Process since 2000: The Highs and Lows of Constitutionalising the European Union	p. 29
Constitutional Process: Procedural Defeat or Substantive Victory?	p. 41
Thinking about the Recent Past and the Future of the EU	p. 42
The Lisbon Treaty and the Future of EU Enlargement	p. 71
Understanding Similarities and Differences in the No-Votes: The French, the Dutch, and the Irish	p. 89
The European Disunion	p. 90
The Netherlands and Europe. Saying No to a European Constitution: Dutch Revolt, Enigma or Pragmatism?	p. 99
Why Ireland Rejected the Lisbon Treaty	p. 127
The Irish "No" and the Rich-Poor/Urban-Rural Divide	p. 137
Appendixes
Laeken Declaration on the Future of the European Union	p. 141
A Constitution for Europe: Factsheet	p. 151
Treaty of Lisbon: Taking Europe into the 21st Century	p. 159
The Treaty of Lisbon: Status of Ratification	p. 175
The European Constitution: Post-Referendum Survey in France	p. 179
The European Constitution: Post-Referendum Survey in the Netherlands	p. 209
Post-Referendum Survey in Ireland	p. 235
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.