The European Constitution will provide much-needed legality to
the European Union, among other things, said Jozsef Szajer, Vice
President of the Hungarian Parliament and drafter of the proposed
European Constitution, at a lecture and discussion at the UCLA
School of Law this past week.
Currently, individual member nations of the European Union do
not have the ability to propose bills, and so cannot technically be
viewed as a legislative body. Furthermore, without a mechanism to
enforce the law, rules can often be violated by the member
countries, Szajer said.
The proposed constitution gives legal power to previous treaties
and legal status to the European Union. The founding documents of
the Union were a series of treaties, Szajer said adding that the
proposed constitution is hoping to give those documents a legal
personality.
The European Union also faces problems with the way its viewed
by ordinary European citizens.
“If people see a stupid regulation … they feel like (the
European Union) is an unnecessary institution,” Szajer said
at the Aug. 20 lecture.
The reason the constitution took such a long time to come about
stems from the fear that the European Union would become a super
state, and thus supercede the rights of the member countries,
Szajer said.
Many European citizens also feared a loss of culture as a result
of a powerful super state. “People are afraid that they will
lose their heritage, but I don’t think that will happen
“¦ the older generations are afraid, but the younger
generation knows the Union is good for the people,” said
George Gaudyn, a Polish immigrant and resident of La Habra
Heights.
The changes brought about by the constitution will hopefully
affect the types of laws being passed, Szajer said.
“You have rules that regulate the size of a tomato or the
composition of honey, but not anything concrete, such as the fight
to stop drug trafficking,” Szajer said.
One particular change to the European Union arose from the
“Kissinger Obsession,” Szajer said, citing Henry
Kissinger, the former Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize
recipient, who once said he would believe in the idea of a united
Europe only when given a phone number he could call.
Kissinger referred to the fact that there was no way to
“reach” Europe in the event of a international crisis.
The proposed constitution also allows for the creation of a
European Union presidency.
The Union has greatly affected the people of Europe, Gaudyn
said, and the proposed constitution will likely continue changing
the lives of Europeans.
“The European Union does many good things … for example,
the open borders lets nations learn from each other,” said
Ella Gaudyn, George Gaudyn’s wife.