The Values of the Eu and Us Constitutions

The Values of the Eu and Us Constitutions

The defining act for the creation of any nation is often the writing and ratifying of its Constitution. A Constitution has two main functions: to address the rights (powers) of its respective government and to enumerate the rights of the individuals residing under said government. In these respects, the US Constitution and the EU Constitution are very much similar. Each document sought to take separate states (the colonies for the US and the member countries for the EU) and bring their individual personalities together under an overreaching governing body. The documents are so similar in structure, in fact, that the EU Constitution was said to have been born out of an "American Model". In as much, the EU Constitution includes a Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union that is akin to the US Bill of Rights. While each Constitution contains similar provisions for individual rights, the EU charter is much longer and more globally minded. The EU Constitution, despite being, in typical European fashion, more multilateral, will certainly still face many of the same battles that the United States' Constitution did.

Just as the US Constitution had to fight its own scuffles in order to be ratified, so is the EU Constitution currently fighting for its legitimacy. Opposition in both cases stemmed from the individual states fearing loss of sovereignty. The thirteen colonies faced this decision in ratifying the Constitution of the United States of America. They viewed themselves as sovereign entities before the ratification of the Constitution, and many of them viewed themselves as sovereign entities even after ratification (although the Supreme Court would later refute this contention of theirs). EU member states have a similar problem. BBC News, in a poll prior to the signing of the EU Constitution in October of 2004, polled states on their main fears about ratification. Several countries, including France, Italy, and the UK, listed fear of sovereignty loss as their main concern. Nationalistic