A Constituição dos Europeus
In this paper, making use of the constitutional comparison method introduced by Aristotle, I aim to argue on the similarities and differences that can be established between, on the one hand, the process that led to the approval of the American Federal Constitution and its consequences and, on the other hand, the process of approval and respective consequences of the Treaty that establishes a Constitution for Europe. To accomplish the aforementioned aim I have used criteria such as the relation ship between federated States and the federal central power, the acquisition of citizenship, the possibility of secession, the checks and balances’ system, the relationship between the Constitution and other laws and the extent of federal integration. The most recent European Union political process is looked into, in the light of issues related to philosophy, law and political science. The standpoint is that Europeans could learn from the complex and contradictory process that occurred more than two centuries ago, as well as from the thought contained in the vast literature produced at the time. Many of the questions and issues that confront Europe nowadays have already been raised and discussed and we should be looking at the different answers they provided, thus enriching our current choices, and improving our decision making process.