The Federalization of the EU, the US and 'Compound Republic' Theory: The Convention's Debate

This article compares the process of federalization of the EU with the American federal experience. It argues that both the EU and the US share features of compound polities, according to James Madison's conceptualization of these during the Philadelphia convention debate. Regardless of the specific institutional structures derived from the compound republic theory, the article stresses the importance of that theory for an understanding of the European integration process and its development. The article advances the conclusion that the Brussels convention, charged with drafting a new constitutional treaty for the EU, had to necessarily preserve the compound nature of the EU.