| Author (Person) | Bower, Helen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 2.6.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 02/06/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The future of the European Union, as envisaged by the European Convention's Praesidium, was presented in full on 26-27 May 2003 with the publication of the draft EU constitution. The detailed text of the constitution follows on from the skeleton constitutional treaty presented by the Convention's President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, in October 2002. Since then, there have been numerous debates about the Presidency of the European Union, the role of the national parliaments and the EU's foreign policy to name but a few. The latest draft is expected to stir even more controversy with many EU officials now concerned that there is not enough time for a full debate on the issue before the final draft of an EU constitution is presented to EU leaders at the European Council in Thessaloniki on 20 June 2003. Background Ever since the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1991, the debate about where the European Union is going, both in terms of its policy remit and institutional powers, has never been far from the EU's agenda. Of course, these questions have existed throughout the history of European integration but with European citizens growing more disenchanted with the Brussels institutions in the 1990s and the ever-growing 'democratic deficit', the debate became even more important. By the time the Nice Treaty was devised in December 2000, opening the way for the next enlargement of the EU to at least ten more Member States, it was clear that far-reaching reforms were necessary to ensure the efficiency and popular support of the European Union in the 21st Century. In a Declaration adopted at Nice on the 'Future of the Union' European leaders called for a 'deeper and wider debate about the future development of the European Union' involving all levels of society and culminating in a new Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. The Laeken European Council held on 15 December 2001 made further progress with the adoption of the Laeken Declaration on the Future of the European Union [See European Sources Online's The inaugural session of the European Convention took place on 28 February 2002 under the leadership of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, a former French President. Over the course of the last year, the praesidium of the European Convention has met at least twice a month to carry out its work with a plenary session of the European Convention held once a month in public. The culmination of all this work was the presentation of the draft EU constitution on 27 and 20 May 2003. Draft EU Constitution Despite much expectation, the actual unveiling of the EU's draft constitution turned out to be something of an anti-climax as the detailed text was released in stages with many of the less controversial issues published first detracting from the contentious issues that followed. Indeed, much of Europe's media devoted few column inches or airwave time to the draft EU constitution, save for the United Kingdom where the potential encroaching of the European Union on national sovereignty stimulated an intense debate on the constitution and the possibility of a referendum. In fact, identifying a more precise delimitation of competencies between the European Union and the Member States is one of the key objectives of the draft constitution which is also intended to:
Soon after the publication of the draft constitution Peter Hain, former UK Minister for Europe, referred to it as a 'tidying up' exercise sparking much criticism from fellow MPs. However, in essence, this is one of the main tasks of the European Convention. Currently, the role and powers of the European Union are laid down in several different treaties, spanning decades and written in complicated legal terminology. The draft constitution aims to bring all those powers within one simplified, easy to understand document. However for a mere 'tidying up' exercise the draft constitution has sparked much controversy around Europe with different opinions in the Member States and the Union's institutions about the issues at stake. In this context, Valéry Giscard D'Estaing and his colleagues have stuck closely to the Convention's initial ideas in the draft EU constitution, leaving the debate to follow. The main elements of the Praesidium' s draft constitution are as follows:
One aspect of the European Union that will remain the same is its name. There had been much discussion about changing the name to either the 'United States of Europe' or 'United Europe', as favoured by Giscard d'Estaing but in the end it appears the Convention's Praesdium appear to have decided that this is one area of the EU that does not need changing. However many of the proposals outlined above have proved controversial. Not only are there differences between the pro and anti-federalists on the level of integration, there are also tensions between the big and small Member States. Countries such as Finland, Austria and Portugal who fear that their position is being threatened by larger Member States who are keen on the idea of a permanent President who would be expected to come from one of the larger Member State. Following the disarray amongst the EU's Member States over the conflict in Iraq, there is also mixed feeling about increasing co-operation on foreign policy and the position of EU foreign minister. Similarly, countries such as the United Kingdom who remain outside the single currency fear that the creation of the post of 'Eurozone finance' minister could see them further sidelined in EU economic affairs. Meanwhile the European Commission is concerned that the European Convention's ideas to reform the Commission could threaten its role whilst the increased powers of the European Parliament and the role of a permanent Council President could strengthen both these institutions. Romano Prodi, the President of the European Commission whose role could be threatened by that of a permanent EU President, has said that the proposals are 'less ambitious' than the European Commission had hoped and has warned against concentrating power in an 'intergovernmental bureau'. 2003 Rome Treaty to replace 1957 Rome Treaty? These differences between the Member States and the EU's institutions will have to be ironed out quickly if the European Convention is to keep to schedule and present its final draft of an EU constitution to the European Council in Thessaloniki on 20 June 2003. This would be followed by the swift launch of an intergovernmental conference (IGC), to which the accession countries would be invited, when a new treaty would be negotiated. EU leaders hope that agreement on a new treaty could be reached in time for it to be adopted under the Italian Presidency at the European Council in Rome in December 2003. This would allow for the 1957 Treaty of Rome - the EU's founding treaty - to be replaced by the 2003 Treaty of Rome, bringing to an end years of debate about the future of the European Union with Giscard d'Estaing optimistic that the draft constitution could serve for fifty years. However, this debate looks set to be replaced by a debate on whether the treaty should be put to a national referendum in each of the Member States and the approval of the Treaty could yet prove just as controversial as its conception. Further information within European Sources Online:
Further information can be seen in these external links: EU Institutions
National Organisations
Miscellaneous Organisations
News Organisations Helen Bower 2 June 2003 The Praesidium of the European Convention published the draft EU constitution in two stages on 28-29 May 2003. Keywords: Convention on the Future of Europe; Future of the Union |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
