The Centrality of National Political Self-Restraint in the European Constitution.

The article examines why European Union (EU) member states offer a constitutional obedience to EU obligations. It outlines the scholarly consensus on the constitutional effectiveness of European law. It considers a range of explanations for the effectiveness of the European constitution. It also develops a new explanation for the constitutional obedience of the EU member states to European obligations, based on domestic political institutions and the concept of the encompassing group.