ABSTRACT
While the idea of limiting sovereignty in a united Europe was widespread, some influential figures were more precise. They envisaged a federal constitution for Europe, giving powers over trade, money, security, and related taxation to a federal parliament, government and court, leaving all other powers to be exercised by the institutions of the Member States [John Pinder, European Community: The Building of a Union]. The debate on federalism in Europe is hopelessly confused, as nobody cares to define its subject and purpose. As a result, politicians and journalists feel free to tell us that federalism is synonymous with ‘centralized bureaucracy’, although every beginning student of federalism knows that the very aim of federal systems is to avoid centralization [Koopmans, 1992].
