The role played by Altiero Spinelli in the creation of the European Political Community (original) (raw)

This essay is aimed at presenting the first attempt to write a European Constitution, the highest aspiration for the federalist movements in the 50s, in the light of Altiero Spinelli’s ideas and political commitment. First of all, I have outlined Spinelli’s biography in order to understand what experiences led him to imagine and strive for the creation of the United States of Europe. His political convictions have always been accompanied by fervor and sometimes frustration, as it becomes evident by reading extracts from his personal diary. In particular, I have focused on his contribution to the discussions on the institutional architecture that was necessary in order to shape the European federation. On this regard, the study carried out by the Comité d’Etudes pour une Constitution Européenne, hereinafter called CEPE, and the sub-commission appointed within it, deserve to be highlighted due to the fact that the outcome of their analysis was supposed to guide the Constituent Assembly mandated by the governments of the Six . Perhaps needless to say, Spinelli played a significant role in both the CEPE and the sub-commission. Therefore, the essay gives an insight into the preliminary initiatives that predated the draft of the European Constitution by the the ad hoc Assembly, and the constitutional sub-commission appointed within it. However, I haven’t dealt with the governments’ reactions and negotiations on the Statute of the European Community, the final outcome presented by the president of the ad hoc Assembly, P. H. Spaak. On this point, I only have reported Spinelli’s remarks on the constitutional sub-commission’s and the ad hoc Assembly’s documents. In conclusion, I have considered briefly the reasons why the EPC’s project eventually failed, according to Spinelli, and why studying the EPC is relevant nowadays.