On 14 December 2001, at the opening session of the Laeken European Council, Nicole Fontaine, President of the European Parliament, welcomes the Declaration on the Future of the European Union and emphasises the importance of the Community method in strengthening the European institutions.

The Laeken European Council, held on 14 and 15 December 2001, mainly focuses on the enlargement of the European Union. It is at the end of this Council that the Fifteen adopt the Declaration on the Future of the European Union and decide to establish the Convention on the Future of the Europe.

On 14 December 2001, on the fringes of the Laeken European Council, demonstrators take to the streets of Brussels calling for the implementation of a more welfare-minded European Union.

On 14 December 2001, on the margins of the Laeken European Council in Brussels, some 20 000 demonstrators call for the establishment of a social Europe characterised by solidarity. The photo shows French demonstrators from the APEIS (the Association for Employment, Information and Solidarity, which is committed to fighting for the rights of the unemployed).

On 14 December 2001, to mark the Laeken European Council, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro focuses on the implications of the debates on the future of Europe and on the reform of the Community institutions.

One year after the Intergovernmental Conference held in Nice in December 2000 which launched the ‘Debate on the future of the European Union', the Laeken Declaration of 15 December 2001 redrafts and gives tangible form to the issues raised in Nice regarding a reform of the institutions. Accordingly, the Declaration sets out the key issues to be discussed at a Convention on the Future of Europe, whose inaugural session is to take place in Brussels on 28 February 2002: the division of competences between the Union and its Member States, the simplification of the Union's legislative instruments, the maintenance of interinstitutional balance and an improvement to the efficacy of the decision-making procedure, and the constitutionalisation of the Treaties.

On 17 December 2001, Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, delivers an address to the House of Commons in which he outlines the outcome of the Laeken European Council and welcomes the Declaration on the Future of the European Union.

On 17 December 2001, commenting on the decisions of the Laeken European Council, the French daily newspaper Le Monde outlines the political and institutional implications of the future Convention on the Future of Europe.

On 17 December 2001, the daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort welcomes the Laeken Declaration and emphasises the need to make the European Union's mode of operation more transparent.

On 17 December 2001, following the Laeken European Council, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung outlines the tasks of the forthcoming European Convention on the Future of Europe.

On 17 December 2001, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung considers that the Laeken Declaration on the future of the European Union and the future European Convention are paving the way for the definition of the future of a united Europe.

On 17 December 2001, the German daily newspaper Die Welt emphasises that the work of the Convention on the Future of Europe provides a unique opportunity to give the European Union true political legitimacy.

In its autumn 2001 issue, the Federalist magazine L’Europe en Formation comments on the implications of the Laeken European Council due to be held on 14 and 15 December 2001 and determines the conditions which need to be met in order to be able to build a federal Europe.

In 2002, Elmar Brok, a German MEP and European Parliament representative at the 2000 Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), gives his critical reflections on the outcome of the Laeken European Council held on 14 and 15 December 2001 and highlights the importance of a successful outcome to the work of the future Convention on the Future of Europe.

In April 2002, in an article in the Italian journal Affari Esteri, Cesidio Guazzaroni, Ambassador and former Director General of Economic Affairs in the Italian Foreign Ministry, analyses the outcome of the Laeken European Council held on 14 and 15 December 2001 and enumerates the challenges facing the European Union.

In April 2002, Pierro Calamia, former Ambassador and former Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Communities, comments on the Laeken Declaration and the convening of a Convention on the Future of Europe.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, describes the establishment of the Convention following the Laeken Declaration and the circumstances surrounding his appointment as Chairman of the Convention.

Tableau reprenant la liste des membres de la Convention européenne.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the European Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003.

On 28 February 2002, at the official opening of the Convention on the Future of Europe, Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, delivers an address in which he emphasises the importance of this day for European democracy and the parliamentary method.

Opening session of the European Convention on 28 February 2002. From left to right: Giuliano Amato (Vice-Chairman), Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Chairman) and Jean-Luc Dehaene (Vice-Chairman).

‘Internal consolidation.’ In February 2002, German cartoonist Mohr illustrates the efforts made by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the Convention on the Future of Europe, with a view to the drafting of a European Constitutional Treaty.

On 27 April 2002, at a conference held in Brussels, Jean-Luc Dehaene, former Belgian Prime Minister and Vice-President of the Convention on the Future of Europe, emphasises the implications of the Convention and explains why this method was chosen in order to define the future of a united Europe.

In 2002, the Federalist magazine L’Europe en Formation compares the Convention on the Future of Europe with the Philadelphia Convention which, in 1787, prepared the Constitution of the United States of America.

On 27 November 2002, Emilio Gabaglio, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and Observer at the Convention on the Future of Europe, sends a detailed contribution to Sir John Kerr, Secretary-General of the Convention, in which he calls for the strengthening of a social and a People’s Europe.

In autumn 2002, in the quarterly journal Commentaire, Alain Lamassoure, former French Minister for European Affairs and Member of the European Convention in his capacity as representative of the European Parliament, analyses the arguments and new elements in the debate within the Convention between the promoters of federalism and those of sovereignty.

On 28 November 2002, Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, emphasises the importance of the work of the European Convention on the Future of Europe and outlines his views on the role of the United Kingdom in a stronger and more democratic Europe.

On 4 December 2002, the European Commission publishes a Preliminary Draft of the Constitution of the European Union, known as the ‘Penelope’ draft, drawn up by a group of experts at the request of the Commission President, Romano Prodi, in agreement with Commissioners Michel Barnier and António Vitorino, which determines the way in which the Community institutions are to operate and the policies to be pursued by the Union.

On 4 December 2002, Louis Michel, Belgian Foreign Minister, Gijs de Vries, Netherlands Foreign Minister, and Jacques Santer, Luxembourg Member of the European Parliament — all three representatives of the Heads of State or Government of their country at the European Convention — send a memorandum to Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the Convention, in which the Benelux countries call for a reform of the Community institutions.

Interview with the President of the European Convention, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro in January 2003. During the interview, Mr Giscard d'Estaing explains the role and operation of the EU institutions, and talks about the European Convention debates surrounding their reform.

On 15 January 2003, Dominique de Villepin, French Foreign Minister, and his German counterpart, Joschka Fischer, both members of the European Convention, forward to the Secretariat of the Convention a joint contribution by Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, and Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), in which they call for a reform of the institutions of the European Union.

‘The pillars of Europe.’ On 16 January 2003, as the Convention on the Future of Europe carries out its work, German cartoonist Sakurai illustrates the joint action of Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, and Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), who are calling for a reform of the European Union’s institutions.

In February 2003, Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio describes the work of the European Convention and outlines the considerable progress made in the draft European Constitution.

On 19 February 2003, Göran Persson, Swedish Prime Minister, informs the Swedish Parliament of the position of his government on the work of the European Convention and on the future of the European Union.

In April 2003, in an article published in the Italian journal Affari Esteri, Giuliano Amato, former Italian Prime Minister and Vice-Chairman of the European Convention, draws up a list of the objectives that Italian diplomacy should set itself in the light of the debates taking place in the European Convention.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final working session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, the President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, asks the Conventionists for their approval of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, Ana Palacio Vallelersundi, Spanish Foreign Minister, gives her analysis of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final working session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, Michel Barnier, European Commissioner with special responsibility for institutional reform and European Commission representative at the Convention, puts forward his analysis of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final working session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, Dominique de Villepin, French Foreign Minister, puts forward his analysis of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final working session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister, puts forward his analysis of the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 13 June 2003, in Brussels, at the final working session of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, the President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, assesses the experience and results acquired from the Convention’s work.

Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe adopted by the European Convention on 13 June and 10 July 2003 and submitted to the president of the European Council in Rome on 18 July 2003.

In an interview published on 15 June 2003, Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio expresses her satisfaction at the draft European Constitution and emphasises the strong bilateral relationship between France and Germany, which has deepened since the 40th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty. She calls for further integration in the area of external and defence policies and a broader common foreign policy, while particularly referring to Spain’s pioneering role in the drafting of the European Convention.

On 15 June 2003, the Madrid-based daily newspaper El País reports on the future challenges facing Spain in the new Europe that is taking shape. Spain will have to find a balance between the country’s interests and the general European interest. The government’s priorities should include Euro-Mediterranean relations and the promotion of new policies concerning the American continent. These two areas are regions where Spain can play a key role within the European Union.

On 19 June 2003, Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, expresses to the Thessaloniki European Council his satisfaction with the draft Constitutional Treaty for the European Union.

On 19 and 20 June 2003, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the Convention on the future of the European Union, submits the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, drawn up by the Convention, to the Thessaloniki European Council.

On 20 June 2003, during the Thessaloniki European Council, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, Chairman of the European Convention on the Future of Europe, submits the draft Constitutional Treaty to the Heads of State or Government of the Fifteen. The final version of the draft will be adopted on 10 July and presented to the President-in-Office of the European Council in Rome on 18 July 2003.

‘Thank you very much, Maître, but WE will take care of the rest!’ On 20 June 2003, at the Thessaloniki European Council, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the Convention on the Future of Europe, presents the draft Constitutional Treaty to the Heads of State or Government of the Fifteen. After the European Council, German cartoonist Sakurai sees difficult negotiations ahead between the governments of the Member States for the establishment of a European Constitution.

On 3 October 2003, on the eve of the opening of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) in Rome, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister, grants an interview to the weekly newspaper D’Lëtzebuerger Land in which he outlines the outcome of the Convention on the Future of Europe and the work still to be carried out.

In November 2003, Elmar Brok, European Parliament representative at the European Convention, welcomes the outcome of the Convention and calls for the Heads of State or Government to adopt the draft European Constitutional Treaty in its entirety.

In March 2003, Giovanni Castellaneta, Adviser to the Italian Prime Minister, considers the road travelled by the European Convention and draws up a five-point list of essential reforms.

On 18 July 2003, at an official ceremony in Rome, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (on the left), President of the European Convention, submits the final report of the Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe to Silvio Berlusconi (on the right), Italian Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the European Council.

In November 2003, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, an Italian and member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank (ECB), criticises the shortcomings of the draft European Constitution drawn up by the European Convention and presented on 18 July 2003 in Rome to Silvio Berlusconi, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, at the opening of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

In autumn 2003, in the journal Commentaire, Alain Lamassoure, former French Minister for European Affairs and Member of the European Convention in his capacity as representative of the European Parliament, analyses the outcome of the Convention’s work and expresses his satisfaction with the method of establishing a Convention to debate the future of the European Union.

In this interview, Jacques Santer, former Luxembourg Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission, recalls the reasons that led the Twelve to establish, in December 2001, the European Convention, in which he took part from February 2002 to June 2003 in his capacity as Personal Representative of the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker.

In this interview, Jacques Santer, former member of the European Convention in his capacity as Personal Representative of the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, outlines the role of ‘go-between’ played by the three Benelux countries, in particular during the disagreements between Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the European Convention, and certain small Member States on the institutional implications of the future Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In this interview, Jean François-Poncet, former French Foreign Minister and current Vice-President of the French Senate Delegation for European Union, welcomes the outcome of the work of the Convention on the future of Europe which, from 2002 to 2003, was given the task of proposing a reform of the EU institutions.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993 and since 1999, and Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, considers the origins and objectives of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which began its work on 27 February 2002.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993 and since 1999, and Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, describes the reasons for the appointment of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing as Chairman of this Convention.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993 and since 1999, and Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, explains the working method set up within the Convention by its President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, in order to reach a consensus.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993 and since 1999, and Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, describes the various political and institutional elements represented within the Convention, the role played by the EPP and the main divisions within the Convention.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993 and since 1999, and Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003, explains how the Convention adopted the concept of a constitution, and how it decided to opt for a single text which would integrate and replace all the former treaties.

In this interview, Pierre Moscovici, French Minister in the Foreign Ministry with responsibility for European Affairs from 1997 to 2002, describes the circumstances in which the Fifteen adopted the Declaration on the Future of the European Union (EU) and decided to convene a Convention on the Future of the EU at the end of the Laeken European Council on 14 and 15 December 2001.

In this interview, Pierre Moscovici, Minister for European Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry from 1997 to 2002 and representative of the French Government in the Convention on the Future of Europe in 2002, describes the circumstances surrounding Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's appointment as President of this Convention.

In this interview, Pierre Moscovici, Minister for European Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry from 1997 to 2002 and representative of the French Government in the Convention on the Future of Europe in 2002, expresses his preference for the method of the Convention, which he deems more effective than that of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC).

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, outlines the composition of the Convention and describes the role of its various institutional components.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, describes the attitude of the representatives of the candidates for accession to the European Union during the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, describes the relations with the successive Presidencies of the Council of the European Union — Spain, Denmark and Greece — during the work of the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, discusses the role of civil society and political divisions in the debates within the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, emphasises the adoption by the Convention of a working method based on transparency and openness.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, describes the consensus method used during the Convention which made it possible to prepare the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, describes the composition and modus operandi of the Praesidium of the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, discusses the composition and role of the Secretariat of the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, explains that the US invasion in Iraq had little impact on the work of the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, explains why the question of the European Union’s borders was not raised during the Convention’s debates, and outlines the positions adopted by Turkey during the work of the Convention.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, summarises the debate that took place during the work of the Convention over whether reference should be made to Europe’s Christian origins in the final text.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, expresses his pessimism with regard to the future of the Conventional method for reforming the European treaties.

In this interview excerpt, Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities from 1985 to 1995, emphasises the ‘fatigue' of the Member States concerning the process of revision of the treaties and the need to go beyond the withdrawal procedure provided by the Lisbon Treaty and make the procedure for revising the treaties more flexible.

In this interview, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the French Republic from 1974 to 1981 and Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe from December 2001 to July 2003, outlines his regrets at the presentation of the third part of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, which concerns the policies and functioning of the European Union.