Spain's vote next Sunday on the European Union's constitutional treaty is the first of ten to be held over the next 18 months.
Spaniards are likely to vote in its favour, but turnout is expected to be low. This is in line with findings of the latest Eurobarometer poll showing one third of citizens in the 25 member-states have never heard of the treaty, 56 per cent know very little about it and only 11 per cent claim to have a good knowledge of its contents. Paradoxically, knowledge is lowest in states in which referendums will be held - including Ireland, where levels of ignorance are found to be among the highest in the EU.
Much of this lamentable lack of knowledge must be put down to the failure of political leaders to engage the public on the issues involved in the treaty. Partly this is because they believe it is too complex for a mass public, partly because they wish to disguise the compromises and the new structure of competences involved. There is a contradiction between the negotiating process and the political process of ratifying the constitution. Referendums, therefore, tend to become national affairs, revolving around domestic issues such as the new Spanish government's radical reform programme, rather than the contents of the treaty, and a test of whether voters are favourably disposed towards the EU or not.
The ratification process - whether parliamentary or by referendum - badly needs more politics, both nationally and transnationally, as well as a sustained communications strategy to bring the constitutional treaty to much greater public attention. This is an ambitious document which simplifies and unifies the existing EU treaties and clarifies areas of competence between Brussels and the member-states. It was prepared by a public convention and then negotiated by governments - and brought to conclusion last June by the most successful of Ireland's EU presidencies. It therefore deserves much more political attention. This is recognised by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who says it is much easier to sell a constitutional document like this to the public than was the case with the much more technical Nice treaty.
A potentially valuable political innovation saw President Jacques Chirac of France and the German chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, join the Spanish prime minister, Mr José Luis Zapatero, on a platform in favour of the constitution last Friday. There ought to be much more campaigning like this over the next 18 months, for and against it. Political argument and contestation are needed to bring the document to public attention and will help give it a more secure framework of political legitimacy. This would also build a rolling momentum in its favour.