Neither Behind, nor Beyond a Thick 'Veil of Ignorance': The 'Difference Principle' in the Impending European Constitution

Starting from the constitutional document drafted by the European Convention, the paper seeks to compare and contrast two approaches to redistribution -- that of welfare economics; and that of constitutional political economy. EU's member countries have weathered financing problems during the last twenty years and with the enlargement to ten more countries, those financial pressures will inevitably intensify. The paper suggests the introduction of multiple difference principles behind a thin veil of ignorance and addresses itself primarily to this latter aspect by extending the generality principle to disability benefits and support to low-income earners.