Andrew Glencross is in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen. Alexander H. Trechsel is professor of political science and the first full-time holder of the Swiss chair in Federalism and Democracy at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy.

• ForewordAcknowledgmentsList of TablesIntroductionPart One: The Constitutional Dimension1. The "Spinelli Treaty" of February 1984: The Start of the Process of Constitutionalizing the European Union2. Taking "Constitutionalism" and "Legitimacy" SeriouslyPart Two: The Comparative Dimension3. Revisiting Altiero Spinelli: Why to Look at the European Union through the American Experience4. Altiero Spinelli and Idea of the US Constitution as a Model for EuropePart Three: Political Actors and the Institutional Dimension5. The Question of Treaty Architecture: From the "Spinelli Draft" to the Lisbon Treaty6. François Mitterrand and the "Spinelli Treaty" of 1984: Support or Instrumentalization?Conclusion: Altiero Spinelli and the Future of the European UnionNotes on Contributors

Federalism has been a regular benchmark throughout the history of European integration: a goal for some, a threat for others. This timely volume, written by renowned experts, offers a first assessment of its influence on the institutional development of the EU. Definitely worth reading to understand how Europe might be moving ahead in the future.