October was a cruel month for the European Union. Although the month closed on a high note with preliminary agreement on a constitution to mark the next stage in the institutional evolution of the EU, ratification of the document is far from certain. At any rate, the lavish signing ceremony in Rome was overshadowed by an institutional crisis set off by a power struggle between the European Parliament and incoming European Commission President Jose Durao Barroso.

The bad news will continue with the November release of a report, already leaked, that calls the EU's attempt to become the world's most competitive economy a failure.

More than two years of deliberation and negotiation yielded Europe's first constitution. The result is a sprawling, ungainly document that has managed to alienate almost as many people as it hopes to unify. It must be ratified by all 25 member states before it can enter into force as planned on Nov. 1, 2006. At least 10 countries have opted to put the document before the public in a referendum. European leaders say they have no plans to deal with a rejection, but Euro-skepticism is climbing and the possibility of a "no" vote is very real. A failure to plan for a setback of such magnitude is like whistling past a graveyard.