German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday that failure to revive the European Union's constitution would be a ``historic mistake'' that would leave the bloc divided and mired in bureaucracy.

yes but the European project has been pushed by a political elite
it will only succeed in the long term with the full democratic consent of the people in the member states
the French said no and the Dutch (the most pro-European nation in the Union) also said no
the European dream is a generational process
the political elites of Europe must do more to convince the masses and fight the petty nationalists but they don't like their political wisdom being challenged by those they regard as inferior (ie the ordinary people)
the British for one are sceptical but pragmatic but currently there isn't a hope of winning a referendum on an EU constitution here

but even if the project is stalled for 10 or 20 years the essential logic together with big capitalism will eventually drive it forward

i want to see the process move forward but not at the expense of democratic consent -- i believe the exercise of achieving that consent will build a deeper union based on deeper imperatives than that of the moment and better institutions (and at the moment there is a distinct democratic deficit at the heart of the European project which would only be reinforced if the elites roll over the wishes of the people)

Merkel Seeks to Revive European Constitution - New York Times