The Romanian Constitution and Civic Engagement
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Paul Blokker
Abstract
The article discusses civic engagement in Romanian constitutionalism. First, I briefly discuss theoretical dimensions of the relation between citizens and constitutional change. Second, the Romanian Constitution will be analyzed in terms of formal constitutional instruments of civic participation. Third, civic engagement in constitution-making and constitutional reform since 1991 will be studied. I will conclude that in the early years of Romanian democratic constitutionalism, citizens’ formal possibilities and actual capacities for engagement in constitutional politics have been severely limited. Civic participation has, however, become more promising and prominent in the 2003 and 2013 reform processes. The Romanian dual experience with the Forum Constituţional ought to be studied as part of a larger wave of participatory constitutional reform in Europe, which also helps to bring out a more general problem of such reform, ie, the lack of formal institutionalization of civic participation.
© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- The Politics of Global Constitutionalism
- The Judicial Dialogue in Europe
- Regional Economic Integration and the Reality of Strong National Constitutional Powers in South America. A Comparative Analysis
- Notes and Essays
- International Constitutional Law – Inclusive, but Still Selective?
- Special Topic: The Romanian Constitution at 25 – A Critical Examination of Romanian Constitutionalism
- The Multinational State That Wasn’t: The Constitutional Definition of Romania as a National State
- The Romanian Constitution and Civic Engagement
- Constitutional Developments
- Austrian Constitutional Court: Constitutionality of the Obligation to Bear Costs in Criminal Proceedings
- Austrian Constitutional Court: Considering Climate Change as a Public Interest is Arbitrary – Refusal of Third Runway Permit Annulled
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- The Politics of Global Constitutionalism
- The Judicial Dialogue in Europe
- Regional Economic Integration and the Reality of Strong National Constitutional Powers in South America. A Comparative Analysis
- Notes and Essays
- International Constitutional Law – Inclusive, but Still Selective?
- Special Topic: The Romanian Constitution at 25 – A Critical Examination of Romanian Constitutionalism
- The Multinational State That Wasn’t: The Constitutional Definition of Romania as a National State
- The Romanian Constitution and Civic Engagement
- Constitutional Developments
- Austrian Constitutional Court: Constitutionality of the Obligation to Bear Costs in Criminal Proceedings
- Austrian Constitutional Court: Considering Climate Change as a Public Interest is Arbitrary – Refusal of Third Runway Permit Annulled
