The European Constitution. Its origins, negotiation and meaning

Abstract:

Whether or not the Constitution will receive European wide ratification remains in doubt. Nevertheless the progress to the current position is a story worth telling.

This book does that and tells it over ten chapters. The first chapter examines the historical background and considers the reasons behind the failure of earlier efforts. The more recent history from Nice to Laeken is explored in chapter two, covering the early work done by the Portuguese in the first half of 2000, through the second half of that year with the French Presidency to the Nice European Council in December 2000, and on to the establishment of the European Convention at Laeken in December 2001. Chapter three charts the tortuous path of the Convention under the astute chairmanship of former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The fourth chapter identifies and analyses the Convention and presents an objective assessment of those parts of the Constitution offering solutions to the problems addressed by the Convention. Chapter five examines Part III of the Constitution and the limited number of policy areas that were examined in detail by the Convention. The sixth chapter examines the Convention's proposals for the future functioning of the institutions seen as essential for the successful delivery of policy outcomes. Chapter seven tells of the Convention's journey through the IGC and how the Constitution finally fell into place under the Irish Presidency in June 2004. Chapter eight examines the impact of the IGC on the substance of the Constitution's text, the most significant being the definition of Qualified Majority Voting and its importance to the institutions. The ninth chapter then makes an overall assessment of the Constitution in its final form and tests it against the following criteria - certainty, durability, readability, adaptability, and novelty. The final chapter makes the long stride to acceptance and looks into the crystal ball to see what steps must be taken to ensure the Union functions properly, what might be its future limits both internally and externally, what main policy challenges face the Union and lastly the issue of governance at the European level.

The work will interest scholars, students, political analysts and all who have an interest in European Union affairs.

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