The European Convention

A group of eight leading environmental groups have criticised the draft EU constitution ahead of the intergovernmental debate on the blueprint due to start in October.
They suggest big amendments to the Union’s main policies such as agriculture.
The other main fault, the group finds, is the fact that the Euratom treaty dating from 1957 at a time when nuclear energy was "was perceived as a safe energy source" is included in the draft constitution.
’Green Eight’ consists of Birdlife (...)

A flash Eurobarometer survery released by the European Commission indicates that across the 25 EU/CEE countries only 45 % of those questioned had heard of the EU Convention. Highest recognition came from Greece, which had held the most recent EU Presidency. Lowest scores were found in the UK where 75 % of those questioned did not know what the Convention was.
But about 50 % of those interviewed would be interested in reading a summary of the constitutional treaty. Citizens were confused (...)

The Convention’s Forum on the Future of the European Union, which has enjoyed the technical support of the Commission, was supposed to close down last 18 July, when the Convention finished its works.
However, the Commission has decided that civil society that showed interest in following the process of the Convention by joining the Convention’s Forum, should be allowed to make use of this Forum during the Intergovernmental Conference (beginning in October 2003).
Futurum website
For more (...)

WHY A ’CONVENTION’?
As the historic enlargement of the EU to Central and Eastern Europe approached it became clear the need to reform the European Union and its Treaties in order to prepare for a Europe of 25 rather than 15 countries. In addition there was strong pressure to make the EU more democratic, transparent, and efficient. The time had come for a profound debate on the objectives and goals of the EU, its Treaties and its institutions.
In the Laeken Summit, 14-15 November 2001, (...)

On Wednesday 9 July, the Convention met in plenary session.
The previous draft of Part III (policies) dated 8 July, had not improved article 174 (ex 152) on public health. However, three interventions demanded changes on this article:
Antonio Vitorino pointed out the need to clarify the legal basis of public health, and he referred to the Commission’s amendment in this sense.
Pierre Lequiller supported Mr Vitorino’s intervention on public health.
Marietta Giannaku pointed out the (...)

After all the amendments and oral interventions on public health, article III-174 (ex Article 152) has not been modified by the Presidium.
The new draft of Part III (policies), dated 8th July 2003, does not innovate since the last draft of Part III (policies) dated 27th June.
On Wednesday 9 July, the Plenary will meet from 15:00h onwards in the European Parliament. They will discuss the new draft of Part III (policies) and then the Presidium will decide if meeting again the same evening to (...)

Introduction by Giscard d’Estaing
Convention President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing started with a briefing on the reactions of the heads of Member states gathered in Thessaloniki to the Constitutional text.
He said that there had been ’possitive reactions’ and a recognition of the ’broad consensus’.
Giscard also said that the conclusions of the Council only reflected partially the athmosphere of the debate and the support of the Member States which was more than he had hoped for.
Then he (...)

Plenary to Debate Policies
The European Convention will hold two additional plenary sessions on 4 and 9-10 July to discuss Parts III and IV of the draft Constitution, dealing with the EU’s policies, the issue of ratification by Member States and the procedures for the revision of the Constitution.
Some 1.700 amendments were tabled. Proposals concern the division of powers between the Member States and the Union’s institutions and their competences over a complete range of policies, (...)

EU leaders continued on Friday 20 June the works of the European Council, dedicated on Friday morning to debate the first project for a European Constitution.
Greek premier Minister Costas Simitis received in a public ceremony the draft of the Constitutional Text from the hands of Valery Giscard d’Estaing, president of the Convention.
Costas Simitis said that "whatever the result" they had "lived through an important day in the history of the Union".
The representatnts of the governments (...)

On Thursday 12 and Friday 13 of June, the Convention met in Plenary session for the last time before the Thessaloniki Summit.
On Thursday, after a long day of meetings with the component groups of the Convention the Presidium turned up to the plenary session at 19:00, one hour later than expected.
Giscard d’Estaing presented the document with the final amendments to the text, amongst which he mentioned amendments to the Preamble, to the articles on the institutional reform and (...)