Suchergebnisse

In 1999, my work as a full-time law professor came to a temporary halt. Shortly before this happened, I brought out a book called Questioning Sovereignty1. This attempted to apply my version of the institutional theory of law to certain urgent contemporary questions in the philosophy of law and political philosophy circulating around the ideas and the roles of law, state, and nation in 'the European Commonwealth' (as I there called it). Then, partly by chance, I was elected as one of the eight members of the European Parliament representing Scotland. My theoretical questions thus acquired a directly practical edge. All the more so at the end of 2001, for then I was most fortunately elected to take part in the Convention on the Future of Europe set up by the European Council at Laeken in December of that year. ; En 1999, suspendí temporalmente mi trabajo como catedrático de derecho. Poco antes de que esto ocurriera, publicaría un libro llamado Questioning Sovereignty1, en el que intentaba aplicar mi propia versión de la teoría institucional del derecho a algunas cuestiones contemporáneas importantes de la filosofía política y la filosofía del derecho, en torno a las ideas y al papel que han de desempeñar el derecho, el estado y la nación en lo que yo en ese momento denominé "la Commonwealth Europea". Entonces, y casi por casualidad, fui elegido como uno de los ocho miembros para representar a Escocia en el Parlamento Europeo. Mis planteamientos teóricos adquirieron, por tanto, un carácter eminentemente práctico, que se haría notar aún más a finales de 2001, momento en que tuve la suerte de ser elegido para formar parte de la Convención sobre el Futuro de Europa creada por el Consejo Europeo en Laeken, en diciembre de ese mismo año.

It is an honour to be invited to give this year's Mackenzie Stuart Lecture. Jack Mackenzie Stuart was a distinguished graduate of this University and of ours in Edinburgh. As a member, and subsequently the President, of the Court of Justice of the European Communities he made a great contribution to the cause of European integration through implementing the laws of the Communities, subsequently the 'European Union'. As well as performing the ordinary tasks of judging and also latterly of presiding over the Court's business, he was an apparently tireless publicist for that cause throughout Europe, but most particularly at home in the UK. By seeking to make the work of his Court and the law it administered less mystifying to the ordinary citizen and to the lawyerly public, he made it also less threatening.

This article discusses the European Constitutional Convention and its 'parliamentarian' character, based on the author's experience of participating in the process. It examines openness and democracy at the Convention, and the opportunities for stateless nations. It also examines the 'European Free Alliance' (EFA) approach to the Convention, namely, self-determination as a principle; support for the constitution but not a superstate; relations of Commission and Council; and subsidiarity and the 'Regions'. Ten particular EFA points are discussed: 'region' or 'nation'; reforming parliamentary representation – 'digressive proportionality'; the Committee of the Regions – reform or abolish; rights to pre-legislative consultation; regional ministers in Council; access to the Court of Justice; subsidiarity criteria and mechanisms; connecting to COSAC; language rights; and territorial cohesion. How satisfactory is the Convention's Draft Constitution from the point of view of stateless nations?