The Political Dynamics of Constitutional Reform: Reflections on the Convention on the Future of Europe

The Convention on the Future of Europe came to a close in July 2003, and the result of its deliberations ? the draft constitutional treaty ? was handed over to the EU?s Italian Presidency for further negotiations in the intergovernmental conference that ensued in autumn 2003.

By all accounts, the European Convention marked a new development in European politics, by opening up the process of constitutional reform to new actors and making it more transparent than before. By achieving consensus on a comprehensive package of reforms to the current EU treaties, the Convention confounded critics and commentators throughout Europe. The subsequent failure of the EU member states? leaders to reach agreement on the institutional reforms at the summit in Brussels in December 2003 does not diminish the importance of the Convention?s work and the lessons that can be drawn from this experience. On the contrary, the current stalemate on EU constitutional reform makes it even more important to understand the political dynamics at play in Europe, so that a solution can be found for making an enlarged EU function in an efficient and accountable manner in the future.

This collection of essays endeavours to go beyond the habitual commentaries and analysis of institutional reform, by reaching deeper into the motivations and logic behind the Convention and by assessing the wider significance of these reforms in the light of Europe?s prevailing political dynamics. In the present political climate, deeper knowledge into the complexities of the European Convention will provide important insights into the contours of a possible future constitutional settlement that ultimately depends on individual actors? commitments to the EU and the presence of political will in the European capitals.

With contributions from Mark Gray, Károly Grúber, Kirsty Hughes, Anna Michalski, Jan Rood, Michel Theys, Helen Wallace, Jan Wouters, Wolfgang Wessels and Thomas Traguth.