The European constitution and European identity: Text and subtext of the Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe

International Journal of Constitutional Law

Volumn 3, Issue 2-3, 2005, Pages 295-315

  Von Bogdandy, Armin ^a  

^a MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR COMPARATIVE PUBLIC LAW AND INTERNATIONAL LAW   (Germany)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 33746352074     PISSN: 14742640     EISSN: 14742659     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/icon/moi021     Document Type: Article

References (164)

1. Ernst Haas, The Uniting of Europe 16 (Stanford Univ. Press 1958)
2. Ulrich Meyer-Cording, Die Europäische Integration als geistiger Entwicklungsprozeβ [European integration as a process in mental development], 10 ArchVR 42, 45, 49, 58ff., 68 (Mohr Siebeck 1958). For the recent debate,
3. see Maria Zanichelli, L'Europa come scelta [Europe as choice], 31 Quaderni Fiorentini per la storia del pensiero Giuridico moderno 917 (2002).
4. Document on European Identity, adopted by the Foreign Ministers of Member States of the European Communities on 14 December 1973 in Copenhagen, Europa-Archiv Folge 2/1974, D 50. In the absence of institutionalization by the European Council, formal adoption rested with the Foreign Ministers of the member states.
5. Detailed data on this point can be found in the "Eurobarometer," at http://europa.eu.int/comm/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb59/eb59_en.htm.
6. Preface, Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, 2003 O.J. (C 169) 1 (Aug. 18, 2003).
7. See especially Hermann Heller, Politische Demokratie und soziale Homogenität [Political democracy and social homogeneity], in 2 Gesammelte Werke 421 (1971). According to Heller, the Weimar Republic depended on a single circumstance: The ruling classes needed to convince the proletariat that it could improve its material well-being within the process of the Weimar Constitution. Contrary to the famous quotation by the Federal Constitutional Court in its even more famous Maastricht judgment (BVerfGE 89, 155, 186), Heller disregards the integration function of substantial homogeneity. The factors for integration and identity (e.g., common language, history, and culture), which the Federal Constitutional Court considers as decisive, and on which it refers to Heller, are considered by Heller as phenomena of the past.
8. Id. at 429.
9. The conceptual counterpart, which is skeptical of identity, would focus instead on the decision-making processes, which must accomodate the many forms of diversity. For a detailed treatment, see Armin von Bogdandy, Europäische und nationale Identität: Integration durch Verfassungsrecht? [European and national identity: Integration by constitutional law] VVDStRL 62, 157, 178ff. (2003).
10. For evidence that the need for collective identity is often overestimated, see Freidhelm Neidhardt, Formen und Funktionen gesellschaftlichen Grundkonsenses [The form and function of social consensus], in Bundesverfassungsgericht und gesellschaftlicher Grundkonsens [The Federal Constitutional Court and Social Consensus] 15, 16f., 26f. (Gunnar Folke Schuppert & Christian Bumke eds., Nomos 2000).
11. See also Hans-Hartwig Bohle et al., Anomie in der modernen Gesellschaft [Anomy in modern society], in Was treibt die Gesellschaft auseinander? [What Drives Society Apart?] 29, especially 54ff. (Wilhelm Heitmeyer ed., Suhrkamp 1997)
12. Ralf Dahrendorf, Gesellschaft und Demokratie in Deutschland [Society and Democracy in Germany] 161ff., 174f. (R. Piper & Co. 1965)
13. Erhard Denninger, Integration und Identität [Integration and Identity], 34 KJ 447 (2001).
14. For a sharp and well founded critique of the use of the term identity in many discourses, see Lutz Niethammer, Kollektive Identität, Heimliche Quellen einer unheimlichen Konjunktur [Collective Identity: Hidden Sources of an Uncanny Situation] 33ff (Rowohlt 2000).
15. Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, Das Grundrecht der Gewissenfreiheit [The fundamental right to liberty], in Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, Staat, Verfassung, Demokratie [State, Constitution, Democracy] 200, 219, 226f., 241f. (Suhrkamp 1991)
16. Erhard Denninger, "Streitbare Demokratie" und Schutz der Verfassung ["Contentious democracy" and constitutional protection], in Handbuch des Verfassungsrechts [Treatise on Constitutional Law] 1§6, Nr. 75 (Ernst Benda et al. eds., 2d ed. 1994).
17. See Unified Communist Party v. Turkey 1 Eur. Ct. H. R. 1 (1998), para. 57
18. Sidiropoulos and Others v. Greece, 4 Eur. Ct. HR 1 (1998), para. 44
19. Party for Freedom and Democracy (Özdep) v Türkey 31 Eur. Ct. H. R. 674 (1999), para. 44
20. Stankov and the United Macedonian Organisation Ilinden v. Bulgaria X Eur. Ct. H. R. X (2001), para. 102.
21. For an analysis, see Julie Ringelheim, Identity Controversies Before the European Court of Human Rights: How to Avoid the Essentialist Trap?, 3 German Law Journal (2002), available at http://www.germanlawjournal.com.
22. Conference of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, IGC 2003 - Meeting of Heads of State or Government, Brussels, 17/ 18 June 2004, CIG 85/04, PRESID 27 (June 18, 2004), available at http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/misc/81109.pdf.
23. Draft Treaty, supra note 4.
24. Among the early analyses of the draft constitution, see Florence Chaltiel, Une Constitution pour l'Europe, An I de la République Européenne [A Constitution for Europe: Year One of the European Republic], Revue du Marché commun et de l'Union européenne 471, 493 (2003)
25. Paul Craig, What Constitution does Europe Need? The House That Giscard Built, The Federal Trust, August 2003
26. Michael Dougan, The Convention's Draft Constitutional Treaty: A "Tidying-Up Exercise" that needs some tidying-up of its own, The Federal Trust, August 2003
27. J. O. Frosini et al., I lavori della Convenzione europea [The work of the European convention], Quaderni costituzionali 387 (2003)
28. Daniel Halberstam et al., Making It Our Own, A trans-European proposal on amending the draft Constitutional Treaty for the European Union, at http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/euc/MiscHTML/EUnews.html
29. Fabienne Kauff-Gazin & Martin Pietri, Premières analyses du projet de Constitution Européenne [Initial analyses of the European constitutional project], Europe - Éditions du Juris-Classeur Nr. 3 (2003)
30. Bertrand Mathieu & Michel Verpeaux, Brèves remarques sur le projet de "Constitution Européenne" [Some brief remarks on the "European Constitution" project], 45 La Semaine Juridique 1909f. (2003)
31. Andreas Maurer, Schließt sich der Kreis? Der Konvent, nationale Vorbehalte und die Regierungskonferenz [Coming full circle? The convention, national reservations, and the intergovernmental conference], Teil I, at http://www.swp-berlin.org/pdf/brennpunkte/ eukonvregkonfanalyse01.pdf
32. Jürgen Meyer & Sven Hölscheidt, Die europäische Verfassung des Europäischen Konvents [The European constitution of the European convention], EuZW 613 (2003)
33. José Martín y Pérez de Nanclares, El proyecto de Constitución europea: Reflexiones sobre los trabajos [The European Constitution project: Reflexions on the work thus far], Revista de Derecho Comunitario Europeo 527 (2003)
34. Michael Pinto-Duschinsky, All in the translation - What the proposed European Constitution means for Britain, TLS, 13 Jun. 2003, 3
35. Thomas Oppermann, Eine Verfassung für die Europäische Union [A constitution for the European Union], DVB1., Part 1, 1165, Part 2, 1234 (2003)
36. Jürgen Schwarze, Ein pragmatischer Verfassungsentwurf [A pragmatic draft constitution], EuR 535 (2003).
37. The linkage of collective identity to psychological processes of individual citizens appears advisable in order to avoid problematic essentializations, Ulfrid Neumann, Wissenschaftstheorie und Rechtswissenschaft [Scientific theory and jurisprudence], in Einführung in die Rechtsphilosophie und Rechtstheorie der Gegenwart [Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy and Theory of Law], 422, 430ff. (6th ed., Arthur Kaufmann & Winifred Hassemer eds., Müller 1994)
38. this parallels methodic individualism, Hans Albert, Methodischer Individualismus und historische Analyse [Methodic individualism and historical analysis], in Teil und Ganzes [Part and Whole] 219 (Karl Acham & Winifried Schulze eds., Beck 1990).
39. On the following, see Orietta Angelucci, Zur Ökologie einer europäischen Identität [On the Ecology of a European Identity], 33ff, 53ff. (Nomos 2003), which bases itself on the theory of social identity.
40. See especially, Henri Tajfel, Human groups and social categories: Studies in social psychology (Cambridge Univ. Press 1981)
41. and the theory of social representation in Serge Moscovici, La Psychanalyse, son image et son public [The Pyschoalalyst: Image and Audience] (PUF 1961) and Social Representations (Robert Farr & Serge Moscovici eds., Cambrige Univ. Press 1984).
42. This terminology is well established; see, e.g. Un'anima per l'Europa. Lessico di un'identità politica [European Spirit: A Lesson in Political Identity] (Furio Cerruti and Enno Rudolph eds., ETS 2002).
43. It seems almost impossible to predict the number of years before a collective identity is established. The decade would probably be a proper unit of measurement. But see Angelucci, supra note 13, at n.160, 163f., shows that demonstrable changes can occur during a period of five years.
44. On this philosophy, see Jürgen Habermas, Geschichtsbewußtsein und posttraditionale Identität [Historical consciousness and postmodern identity], in Jürgen Habermas, Eine Art Schadensabwicklung [Mitigating the Damage] 173ff. (Suhrkamp 1987)
45. Dolf Sternberger, Verfassungspatriotismup [Constitutional patriotism], in 10 Schriften, especially 17ff., 24, 30f. (1990).
46. See also Joseph H.H. Weiler, Federalism without Constitutionalism: Europe's Sonderweg; in The Federal Vision 63 (Kalypso Nicolaidis & Robert Howse eds., Oxford Univ. Press 2001).
47. This can be demonstrated by comparison with Germany, where the identity-forming role of the Basic Law seems rather important. See J. Gebhardt, Verfassungspatriotismus als Identitätskonzept der Nation [Constitutional patriotism as national identity], Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte B 14/93, 31, n.33 (1993)
48. M. Rainer Lepsius, Interessen, Ideen und Institutionen [Interests, Ideas, and Institutions] 63, n.77 (Westdeutscher 1990)
49. H. Rausch, Politisches Bewußtsein und politische Einstellungen im Wandel [Political consciousness and political attitudes in flux], in Die Identität der Deutschen [German Identity] 119, 130 (Werner Weidenfeld ed., Hanser 1983).
50. On the relevant role of the Federal Constitutional Court, see the articles in Schuppert & Bumke, supra note *
51. Ulrich Haltern, Integration als Mythos [Integration as myth], JöR 45 (1997)
52. Josef Isensee, Die Verfassung als Vaterland [The constitution as the fatherland], Allmanach 71 (1988).
53. Benedict Anderson, Die Erfindung der Nation [The Invention of the Nation] (Campus 1996)
54. Karl Deutsch, Nationenbildung-Nationalstaat-Integration [Nation-Formation, Nation-State, Integration] (Bertelsmann Universitätsverlag 1972)
55. Ernest Gellner, Nationalismus und Moderne [Nationalism and Modernity] (Rotbuch 1991)
56. Eric Hobsbawm, Nationen und Nationalismus [Nations and Nationalism] (2d ed. 1992)
57. Hagen Schulze, Staat und Nation in der Europäischen Geschichte [State and Nation in European History] (2d ed., Beck 1995).
58. Jean-François Lyotard, Das postmoderne Wissen [Postmodern Wisdom] 63ff., 112 (4th ed., Passagen 1999)
59. Jean-François Lyotard, Der Widerstreit [The Conflict] 12, 251ff. (2d ed., Fink 1989).
60. On the difficulties of such constructions, especially in a European context, see F. Hanschmann, Geschichtsgemeinschaft [Historical community], in Rechtsgeschichte [Historical Jurisprudence] (forthcoming 2004).
61. On the functions of preambles, see Peter Häberle, Europäische Verfassungslehre [European Constitutional Studies] 273ff. (Nomos 2001-2002)
62. Horst Dreier, Präambel, in 1 Grundgesetz [hereinafter GG], n.8 (Horst Dreier ed., 1996)
63. Josef Isensee, Staat und Verfassung [State and Constitution], in 1 HbStR §13, n.4 (Josef Isensee & Paul Kirchhof eds., 2d ed. 1995)
64. Christian Starck, Präambel, in 1 Das Bonner Grundgesetz n.29ff. (von Mangoldt et al. eds., 1999)
65. H.-D. Treviranus, Preamble, in 3 EPIL 2, 1097f. (Rudolf Bernhardt ed., 1997)
66. Armin von Bogdandy, Preamble, in Ten Reflections on the Constitutional Treaty for Europe 3 (Bruno de Witte ed.), available at http://europa.eu.int/futurum/documents/other/oth0204O3_en.pdf.
67. See J. Aldebert, Europäisches Geschichtsbuch. Geschichtliches Unterrichtswerk für die Sekundarstufe I und II [European History for Secondary School Instruction, Vols. I and II] (1992).
68. Jan Assmann, Das kulturelle Gedächtnis [Cultural Memory] 52, 75f. (3rd ed., Beck 2000).
69. Georg W.F. Hegel, Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Weltgeschichte [Lectures on the Philosophy of World History] I, 249 (Johannes Hoffmeister ed., 1955).
70. In this sense, the Ode, which underlies the anthem of the Union (see art. IV-1, subpara. 2, CT), sings of an especially radiant figure of Greek mythology.
71. Alfred North Whitehead, Prozes und Realität [Process and Reality] 91f. (Suhrkamp 1979).
72. On the recent research, see Wolfgang Schuller, Griechische Geschichte [Greek History] 82ff. (Oldenbourg 1980).
73. To what degree ancient Greece represents a similar myth to the Muslim world is an entirely separate topic.
74. Ulrich Everling, The EU Between Community and National Policies, in Principles of European Constitutional Law (Armin von Bogdandy ed., 2005 forthcoming). See the fifth recital of the preamble to the European Coal and Steel Community Treaty of 18 April 1951 (BGB1, Part II, 447 (1952)).
75. The English version reads "reunited after bitter experiences" similar to the French and Italian, "désormais réunie" other versions, however, are not so euphemistic. In the German, for example, there is no previous stage of European unity: "nunmehr geeintes Europa" the Hungarian version proposes a further aspect by considering Europe as " újraegyesülõ," i.e., as "reuniting."
76. This is now the second recital of the CT.
77. On the significance of rites of memory, see Assmann, supra note *, at 56ff.
78. On the function of national holidays, see Peter Häberle, supra note *, at 18, 124, 183f., 493
79. Eckard Klein, Die Staatssymbole [State symbols], in 1 HbStR §17, n.1, 11 (Josef Isensee & Paul Kirchof eds., 2d ed. 1995).
80. For the background, see e.g., Bino Olivi, L' Europa difficile [European Difficulty] 30ff. (Il Mulino 1998).
81. On resentment, see Larry Siedentop, Democracy in Europe 113ff. (Penguin 2000).
82. Joseph H.H. Weiler, To be a European citizen: Eros and civilization, in Joseph H.H. Weiler, The Constitution of Europe 324, 338f. (Cambridge Univ. Press 1999)
83. Ulrich Haltern, Europäischer Kulturkampf [European Kulturkampf], 37 Der Staat 591, 620 (1998)
84. Michael Zürn, Regieren Jenseits des Nationalstaates [Governing beyond the Nation-State] 257, 348 (Suhrkamp 1998).
85. Angelucci, supra note 13, at 44f.
86. The CT skillfully uses the potentials offered by the conceptual pairs people - society and culture - civilization.
87. Among the prominent French intellectuals, see e.g., Edgar Morin, Penser l'Europe [Think Europe] (Gallimard 1987)
88. (the Italian edition, Pensare l'Europa 129ff. (Feltrinelli 1990), is cited here).
89. Destiny: "a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistable power or agency.", available at Merriam-Webster Online, http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=destiny [emphasis added]. On the French destin: "Puissance surnaturelle qui fixerait le cours des événements," Petit Larousse Illustré 312 (1979).
90. See Hermann-Josef Blanke, Essentialia des Entwurfs des Europäischen Verfassungsvertrages [The draft European constitution: Essentials], Rivista europea di cultura e scienza giuridica 95, 147 (2003).
91. Conclusions of the Presidency of the Tampere European Council, Bull. EU 10-1999, 7ff.
92. On the darker implications of the Großraum, see Christian Joerges, Europe a Großraum? Shifting Legal Conceptualisations of the Integration Project 167, 189ff.,
93. and John McCormick, Carl Schmitt's Europe: Cultural, Imperial and Spatial Proposals for European Integration, 1923-1955 133, 140f.,
94. both in Darker Legacies of Law in Europe (Christian Joerges & Navraj S. Ghaleigh eds., Hart 2003).
95. Art. 13 SEA
96. art. 14, para. 2 EC
97. art. III-14, para. 2 CT
98. (Art. 2, indent 4 EU; art. I-3, subpara. 2 CT). On the history of the "area of freedom, security and justice," see http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/key_issues/step_by_step/ step_by_step_09_2002_de.pdf.
99. Art. 11, para. 1, indent 1 EU, "integrity of the Union"
100. art. I-40 CT
101. Here, the draft constitution employs a half-truth: Europe is not a continent but a subcontinent.
102. Cf, e.g. Vincenzo Gioberti, Del primato morale e civile degli italiani [Moral and Civil Supremacy of the Italians] (1843)
103. Georg W.F. Hegel, Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Geschichte [Lectures on the Philosophy of History] 135, 137f. (H. Glockner ed., 1928).
104. This is the fifth recital of the draft CT.
105. For more on the fetal movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, converted in 1972 by Herbert von Karajan into the European anthem,
106. see Caryl Clark, Forging Identity: Beethoven's "Ode" as European Anthem, 23 Critical Inquiry 789 (1997). On the symbols,
107. see generally Markus Göldner, Politische Symbole der europäischen Integration: Fahne, Hymne, Paß, Briefmarke, Auszeichnungen [Political Symbols of European Integration: Flag, Hymn, Passport, Stamp, Honors] (Lang 1988).
108. C. Brütsch, Die Offenbarung Jesu Christi [The Revelation of Jesus Christ] 56ff. (1955)
109. Alfred Winkenhauser, Die Offenbarung des Johannes [The Revelation of John] 92f. (1959)
110. R. Damerau, Die Offenbarung des Johannes. Nach einem Kommentar des Reformtheologen Johannes Hagen (De Indagine) [A Comment by the Reform Theologian Johannes Hagen] 120 (1984)
111. Johannes Behm, Die Offenbarung des Johannes 64f. (1949)
112. Eduard Lohse, Die Offenbarung des Johannes 62 (1960).
113. Jacques Ellul, Apokalypse 76f. (Neukirchener 1981).
114. Jürgen Schwarze, supra note *, at 535, 539ff.
115. B. Wägenbauer, Die Europäische Verfassung, (k)ein Platz für abendländische Werte? [The European constitution: What place for Western values?], EuZW 609 (2003).
116. Friedhelm Neidhardt, supra note *, 15, 27f; on the role of principles,
117. see Dieter Fuchs, Demos und Nation in der Europäischen Union [Demos and nation in the European Union], in Zur Zukunft der Demokratie [The Future of Democracy] 215, 230ff. (Hans-Dieter Klingemann & Friedhelm Neidhardt eds., Sigma 2000)
118. on the social functions of promulgating highly abstract values, see Gert Degenkalbe, Über logische Struktur und gesellschaftliche Funktionen von Leerformeln [On the logical structure and social function of naked formulas], 17 Kölner Zeitschrift für soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 327, 333ff. (1965).
119. G. Frankenberg, Die Rückkehr des Vertrags [Return of constitution], FS Habermas 507, 513ff. (2001).
120. In contrast, one can also infer the Union's lack of rootedness from the prominence of the values. This, however, only confirms the constructive will which underlies the CT.
121. The history of the concept value is complex. See, e.g., Christian Starck, Zur Notwendigkeit einer Wertbegründung des Rechts [The necessity for normative values in the law],
122. and Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde, Zur Kritik der Wertbegründung des Rechts [Criticism of normative values in the law], both in Rechtspositivismus und Wertbezug des Rechts [Positive Rights and values in the Law] 33, 45f., 47 (Ralf Dreier ed., Steiner 1990)
123. Niklas Luhmann, Gibt es in unserer Gesellschaft noch unverzicht-bare Normen? [What are our Indespensable Societal Standards?] 18ff. (Müller 1993)
124. Jürgen Habermas, Faktizität und Geltung [Between Facts and Norms] 312 (5th ed., Suhrkamp 1997)
125. André-Jean Arnaud, Pour une pensée juridique européenne [Toward a European Legal Thought] 23 (PUF 1991). For a good overview,
126. see also Gottlieb Brunner, Grundwerte als Fundament der pluralistischen Gesellschaft [Basic Values as the Foundation of a Pluralistic Society] 109ff. (Herder 1989).
127. Art. I-2: "These values are common to the Member States in a [i.e., a single] society..." (emphasis added).
128. See Armin von Bogdandy, The European Union as a human rights organization? Human rights and the core of the European Union, 37 Common Mkt. L. Rev. 1307, 1317 (2000).
129. Thus, shortly thereafter in Pericles's funeral oration: "I believe that a death such as theirs has been the true measure of a man's worth; it may be the first revelation of his virtues, but is at any rate their final seal." Thucydides II, available at http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/education/thucydides.html, (Richard Hooker ed.) Further: "For a man's counsel cannot have equal weight or worth, when he alone has no children to risk in the general danger." Id. Especially in American constitutional theory, willingness to sacrifice sometimes considered as a key to a collective identity,
130. see Paul Kahn, American Hegemony and International Law, Chi. J. Int'l L. 1, 8 (2000)
131. for a similar viewpoint, see also Ulrich Haltern, On Finality, in Principles of European Constitutional Law, supra note *.
132. The second sentence of article I-44 confirms such a thoroughly problematic understanding of democracy. This sentence, however, in light of articles I-2 and article I-7, paragraphs 2-3, can be interpreted as a partial, by no means complete definition of the principle of political equality.
133. This reference is credited with thanks to participants in a seminar with Prof. Martti Koskenniemi in Helsinki in August 2003.
134. art. I-6a, subpara. 3 CT
135. art. IV-1, subpara. 3 draft CT.
136. Angelucci, supra note 13, at 40.
137. Carl Schmitt, Der Begriff des Politischen [The Concept of the Political] 26f., 29f., 50ff. (6th ed., Duncker & Humblot 1996).
138. Cf. Claus Koch, Europa-nur gegen das amerikanische Imperium [Europe-Solely to counter American empire], Merkur, Sonderheft Europa und America 617/618, 980ff. (2003).
139. Christoph Bertram, Stärke und Schwäche [Strength and weakness], Merkur 647, 200, 206 (2003).
140. Charles Fried and Anne-Marie Slaughter suggested this insight.
141. See the Document on European identity, supra note 2.
142. Cf. Günter Frankenberg, Die Verfassung der Republik [The Constitution of the Republic], especially 32ff., 133ff., 213ff. (Suhrkamp 1997)
143. Günter Frankenberg, Tocquevilles Frage. Zur Rolle der Verfassung im Prozeß der Integration [De Tocquevilles' Question: The role of the Constitution in the integration process], in Schuppert & Bumke, supra note *, at 31, 44ff.
144. Also impressive in this line of thought is Siedentop, supra note *, at 25ff.
145. Klaus von Beyme, Die Entstehung des Ministerpräsidentenamtes in den parlamentarischen Systemen Europas [The emergence of the office of prime minister in European parliamentary systems], 10 PVS 249ff. (1969)
146. Klaus von Beyme, Die parlamentarischen Regierungssysteme in Europa [European Parliamentary Systems of Government] 589ff. (Piper 1970)
147. Armin von Bogdandy, Gubernative Rechtsetzung [Governmental Law Making] 129f. (2000).
148. There is, however, a chance that this deficit will be addressed, at least in terms of legal responsibility. In a proposal, dated 6 October 2003, the Italian Council Presidency suggested that art. III-270, para. 1 allow for a basic a ppealability of acts of the European Council, available at http://ue.eu.int/igcpdf/en/03/cg00/cg00004.en03.pdf.
149. Also in this respect, the IGC improves substantially the Convention's proposal, as now an action under art. III-270, para. 1 CT might be brought against the European Council if an act is "intended to produce legal effects vis-à-vis third parties."
150. For an attempt to bring these most diverse provisions in one conceptual framework, see Anne Peters, European democracy after the 2003 Convention, Common Mkt. L. Rev. 41, 37 (2004).
151. Some elements, which arguably might foster identity, were not introduced; the most often discussed omission is a reference to God; on this, see Joseph H.H. Weiler, Ein Christliches Europa [Christian Europe] (Anton Pustet 2004). Yet, as pointed out, the flag carries a powerful religious message.
152. Eberhard Schmidt-Aßmann, Das allgemeine Verwaltungsrecht als Ordnungsidee [The General Administrative Law as Regulation] 39ff., 56ff. (Springer 1998)
153. R. Wahl, Der Vorrang der Verfassung [Constitutional primacy], in Verfassungsrecht, Europäisierung, Internationalisierung [Constitutional Law, Europeanization, Internationalization], at 121ff. (R. Wahl ed., 2003).
154. On the influence of the basic rights on all areas of the legal order, see Horst Dreier, Vorb. art. 1, Nr.15, 18, 57, in 1 Horst Dreier, GG (1996).
155. Marcelo Neves, 2 Symbolische Konstitutionalisierung [Symbolic Constitutionalization], 79ff., 104 (Duncker & Humblot 1998).
156. Michael Stolleis, Geschichte des öffentlichen Rechts in Deutschland [History of German Public Law], 102ff. (Beck 1999)
157. see also Heinrich Albet Zachariä, 1 Deutsches Staats- und Bundesrecht [German State and Federal Law] 75f., 290 (1853). But cf. the promising development discussed supra note *.
158. Compare the stability criteria, presently grounded in primary law in art. 104 EC in connection with Protocol 20 to the EC Treaty "on the excessive deficit procedure." Detailed rules and definitions for the application of this protocol were laid down in Regulation (EC) 3605/93 of the Council of 22 November 1993 (1993 O.J. (L) 7). On the binding Stability Pact,
159. see European Council Resolution on the Stability and Growth Pact of Amsterdam of 17 June 1997 (1997 O.J. (C 236) 3).
160. The most important judgment in this regard is C-27/04, Commission v. Council, handed down 13 July 2004, on excessive government deficits.
161. See Eduardo García de Enterría, La constitución como norma y el Tribunal constitucional [Normative Constitutions and the Constitutional Court] (Civitas 1981).
162. This, according to a Kantian dictum, stating that even devils could found a state, if they have reason. See Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace (1795)
163. see also Immanuel Kant, Die Religion innerhalb der Grenzen der blossen Vernunft [Religion in the confines of reason], 7 Werke in zehn Bänden 751ff., 753 (Weischedel Edition 1968); on Kant's continued relevance,
164. see Peter Niesen, Volk-von-Teufeln-Republikanismus, in FS Habermas 568 (2001).