Book Review: Constitutional Dimensions of European Economic Integration
| Author | Theodor Schilling |
| Date | 01 December 1996 |
| Published date | 01 December 1996 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1023263X9600300406 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Book Reviews
F. Snyder (ed.), Constitutional Dimensions
of
European Economic Integra-
tion, Kluwer Law International 1996, ix +375 pages, hardback, Dfl. 155,
£ 70, US$ 104.
The book under review 'consists of the proceedings of an international conference on
"European Law in Context: Constitutional Dimensions of the European Economic
Integration", held at the European University Institute in Florence on 14-15 April
1994'.1 Let me start the review with three general points of criticism. First, published
in 1996, some
ofthe
contributions, and even someofthe subject matters, have inevitab-
ly lost some of their original freshness. 2
It
is a pity that a book with contributions,
many of which were, at the time, of great topical interest hits the (internal) market only
after such a significant delay.
The second point to be lamented is a lack of careful editing. Misspellings and missing
or double words abound. One of the French contributions is at the border of the incom-
prehensible and has the appearance of being taken out of unrevised verbatim minutes
of a spontaneous utterance. 3
A third point of criticism: the expectations created by the title of the book - Con-
stitutional Dimensions
of
European Economic Integration -are not fulfilled. The title
gives rise to the hope that the fashionable, and rather theoretical, discussion of the
constitution(alization) of Europe is to be supplementedby more solid arguments based
on economic facts, i.e, that the conference was concernedwith practical aspects of sub-
stantive law of a kind generally dealt with in national constitutions. This hope is even
enhanced by the conference's substantive purpose 'to begin to take stock of research
1. Francis Snyder, Preface, in Constitutional Dimensions of European Economic Integration (Francis
Snyder, ed.) (Kluwer Law, 1996) at VII.
2. Some of the contributions are even more mature. Cf. Constitutional Dimensions, at 75, n. 1, and at
109, n. *.
3. Antoine Lyon-Caen, Commentaire, in Constitutional Dimensions, at 269 et seq.
MJ 3 (1996) 419
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