EU leaders concluded the Brussels Summit on 18 June 2004 by reaching agreement on the text of the new Treaty which provides a Constitution for Europe.
Currently the EU is governed by the Nice Treaty, signed in December 2000 and which came into force in February 2003. The New Constitutional Treaty will, if ratified, enter into force in 2009.
The Irish Prime Minister stated:
"The Constitutional Treaty brings the Union’s basic law into one document for the first time. It reflects the needs of a community of nations that has dramatically broadened its membership."
"This Constitutional Treaty will enable the European Union to become more transparent and more democratic. It sets out the powers of the member states and of the Union in a clear way. It will enable the Union to do its work in a more efficient and effective manner. It will give us a framework in which we can grow and prosper into the future."
The next hurdle will be ratification of the Treaty in each of the 25 Member States, at least half of which will be holding public referenda on the Treaty. National governments will have to communicate to citizens about the Treaty and persuade them to vote for the Treaty.
Specifically, EU leaders agreed that the outcome of the InterGovernmental Conference was document CIG 81/04 as amended and complemented by some additional texts CIG 85/04 resulting from the Summit.
A provisional consolidated version of the Treaty has been published by the European Council.
