Carlos Closa is Professor of Political Science at the Institute for Public Goods and Policies (IPP) at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Madrid. He has been a member of the Venice Commission for democracy through law and a consultant for the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Parliament. He has researched and published widely, focusing on the areas of EU citizenship, the EU's constitutional structure, and relations between the EU and its Member States.