A monster lives again
European leaders are about to squander their second chance to get the constitution right
WHEN French and Dutch voters rejected the European Union constitution in the summer of 2005, the continent's grandees reacted with dismay verging on panic. “Europe is not in crisis,” said the ever-quotable prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, “it is in deep crisis.” Yet that was always nonsense. The constitutional treaty was a dog's dinner, and its rejection created a precious second chance to go back and get it right. The time to act on that chance has now arrived, with the start of the German EU presidency; for the Germans have promised to make reviving the constitution their top priority. But the opportunity for a second go is likely to be squandered.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A monster lives again”
From the January 6th 2007 edition
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