At a Glance:

Federal Countries: 6


Regional Body: European Union

Regional Body Headquarters: Brussels (European Agencies) and Strasbourg (European Parliament)

Regional Body Latest Treaty or Constitution: Lisbon Treaty, 2009

Europe

Map of Europe spain.php russia.php Germany Austria Switzerland Italy Our Work in Europe

The Forum engages with practitioners of federalism in Europe to share ideas and best practices. The Forum also works with European federal countries to examine the changing role of federalism and special needs and opportunities due to the emergence and growth of the European Union.

The Forum has built links with the EU’s Committee of the Regions (CoR). In addition to this, the Forum has programs in most of the EU’s federal member countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, and also in Italy and Spain.

Federalism in Europe

European countries with federal constitutions include Austria, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Russia. Spain has many attributes of a federal country but does not define itself as federal. Italy has taken moves in the direction of a federal system. The United Kingdom has established assemblies with defined powers similar to state or provincial legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but has not adopted a federal system.

The European Union (EU) unites 27 European countries in an economic and political union. The EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1993, which itself grew out of previous organizations going back to the European Coal and Steel Community, established in 1951. The move to provide the EU with a constitution, signed by 25 member states in 2004, was put on hold by referendums that rejected the constitution in two member countries. However, the main provisions of the constitution were incorporated into the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into effect on Dec. 1, 2009 after the treaty was ratifed by all member countries. Under the treaty, the EU now has a more powerful post of President of the European Council, with a two-and-a-half-year term, and a foreign minister, known as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Where We work