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

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.

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.