The vulnerability of the neutral constitution

Abstract

At the express wish of the Constituent Assembly, and according to the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, the Spanish Constitution does not have written entrenchment clauses. At the time, this open character favoured the openness and the integrating nature of our fundamental norm. Today, however, this constitutional neutrality raises problems. Some are of a theoretical nature, given that the absence of limits to the power of reform is not consistent with the rational normative nature of our fundamental rule. Others may have practical consequences, since the openness leaves the Constitution without defence against its enemies. The European experience, as well as constitutional history, shows that intangibility clauses are aimed to safeguard the essential elements of Constitutional Law itself. In our system, it cannot be excluded that the Constitutional Court will review its own jurisprudence, given that it does not have a substantive character. In the meantime, recognising that constitutional reform must have implicit limits can serve to distinguish legitimate modifications of the Constitution from others which, although they respect the procedures, are no more than masks of legality.