One suspects that the article is a bit of fluff to fill in an otherwise slow day, but the Feb issue of Newsweek makes the claim that some people actually (still?) believe there should be a "Constitution" for Europe ...

Europe's Sneaky Attempt to Revive Its Constitution

Europe's leaders aim to revive the constitution, but this time without the potential embarrassment of another messy vote.

By Andrew Moravcsik
Newsweek International

Feb. 5, 2007 issue - Remember the European constitution? Once upon a time, it seemed the answer to the European Union's woes. Leaders promised a union that was "more democratic, transparent and efficient"—a tonic for its declining popularity.

And so it began. There was a year-long Constitutional Convention, replete with lofty references to a new generation of European "founding fathers." Yet the resulting document proved uninspiring, even unreadable. Voters in France and the Netherlands rejected it in 2005 as a symbol of everything they disliked—social-welfare cuts, immigration, their own governments—anything except actual EU policy. That ushered in a long "reflection period" during which no one reflected. Prudent politicians might just have let the constitution die then, but no. It's back.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency through June, is determined to revive the star-crossed treaty. At Davos last week, she declared it an indispensable "road map" to Europe's future. "People must trust us," she said,... ...

The article continues with naming names of people with profound notions, but ...

Aside from the terror associated with a politician saying "trust us," I'm curious whether there is particular opinion - that can be expressed in our usual polite and decorous manner here - about whether this means anything, whether it should mean anything, or if it's an invitation to widespread civil warfare in Europe - or something else entirely.

Just curious.

John