Constitutional Reform

Europe is drifting toward deeper integration without having agreed on the constitutional foundations such a system requires. Step by step, powers are shifting to the European level—yet the institutional structure remains that of a treaty-based arrangement rather than a coherent political order.
I believe this is unsustainable.
If Europe is to act democratically, decisively, and legitimately, it must move beyond improvised treaties and incremental fixes. That means starting an open, honest conversation about transforming the European Union from a treaty organization into a federal political body grounded in a clear, written constitution.

What a European Constitution Must Guarantee

A European constitution must preserve the sovereignty of its member states while clearly defining the limited and delegated powers exercised at the European level.

It must explicitly entrench the principle of subsidiarity, ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to citizens, and that competences not expressly conferred remain with the member states. Strong and enforceable state rights must serve as a structural safeguard against central overreach.

At the same time, the constitution must establish a strong and accountable executive, capable of acting decisively in matters of common concern—particularly in foreign policy, security, and crisis response—so that Europe can operate credibly in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.

Legislative authority must rest in a co-equal bicameral parliament:
one chamber representing the peoples of Europe through proportional democratic representation, and one chamber representing the sovereign interests of the member states on an equal footing.

Finally, the constitution must guarantee an independent judiciary, institutionally insulated from political pressure, ideological mission-creep, and teleological interpretation, so that constitutional limits are enforced faithfully and impartially.

State Sovereignty Guarantees

A constitution must also explicitly guarantee to its member states the following protected rights and exclusive competences, which should be presumed reserved to the states unless expressly and narrowly conferred otherwise:

Member states should retain the right to preserve, protect, and promote their own languages, cultures, and religious traditions, free from harmonization or indirect regulatory encroachment at the European level.

Member states should retain the right to maintain their national symbols, including flags, anthems, coats of arms, and other constitutional emblems, as well as their distinct constitutional traditions and historical identities.

Member states should exercise exclusive competence in matters of family law, marriage law, reproductive regulation, and other questions of social, ethical, or moral policy.

Member states should retain sole competence over civil status law, including the registration and regulation of birth, marriage, death, names, nationality-related personal status, and related civil registries.

Member states should retain exclusive competence in education, including curricula, standards of instruction, accreditation, language of teaching, and the organization, governance, and funding of educational institutions.

Member states should retain sole authority to organize, fund, and administer healthcare systems and retirement pension systems, including eligibility rules, benefit structures, and institutional design.

Member states should exercise exclusive competence over property law, including land-use regulation, housing policy, zoning, and rules governing the ownership, transfer, and use of immovable property.

Member states should retain exclusive judicial competence within their territorial jurisdiction, including the organization of courts, criminal justice, civil law enforcement, and the administration of justice, subject only to constitutionally enumerated federal jurisdiction.

Member states should retain sole authority to organize their internal administration, including civil service systems, regulatory agencies, and local and regional governance structures.

Member states should retain exclusive competence over internal security and policing, including public order, law enforcement organization, and domestic security operations.

Member states should retain exclusive authority to conduct elections, including the design of electoral systems, the regulation of political parties, campaign rules, and democratic procedures within their own constitutional order.

These protections are intended to safeguard democratic self-government at the national level and to ensure that European integration strengthens, rather than erodes, national diversity.