After the finalisation of the European Constitutional Treaty in October 2004 and before its intended ratification, due to take place by 1 November 2006, the historian and European integration specialist Pierre Gerbet produces an analysis of the most salient points of the Constitutional Treaty. He outlines the structure of the treaty and sets the proposed developments in context.

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, analyses the notion of constitution associated with the text resulting from the work of the Convention and the need for a third part of the draft Treaty concerning the policies and functioning of the European Union.

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 regrets at the failure of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe which resulted from the work of the Convention.

Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004.

On 29 October 2004, in Rome, the Heads of State or Government of the 25 Member States sign the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing of the Treaty in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, gives an address in which he summarises the evolution of the European integration process since the signing of the Rome Treaties on 25 March 1957, emphasising the present and future implications for the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing of the Treaty in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister, gives an address in which he summarises the evolution of the European integration process since the signing of the Rome Treaties on 25 March 1957, emphasising the present and future implications for the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing of the Treaty in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch Prime Minister and Acting President of the European Council, gives an address in which he expresses his satisfaction with the progress made by the European Union and with its merits.

On 29 October 2004, at the official ceremony held in Rome to mark the signing of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Jan Peter Balkenende, Netherlands Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, delivers an address in which he welcomes, in particular, the progress and the distinctive features of the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister and Acting President of the Council of the European Union at the closing session of the Intergovernmental Conference in June 2006, gives an address in which he emphasises the importance of the Constitutional Treaty for the future of the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the official ceremony held in Rome to mark the signing of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister, delivers an address in which he places particular emphasis on the importance of the Treaty for the future of the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing of the Treaty in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament, gives an address in which he emphasises the role played by the Assembly in the drafting of the text as well as the main contributions of the new Treaty by comparison with preceding Treaties.

On 29 October 2004, at the official ceremony held in Rome to mark the signing of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Parliament, delivers an address in which he places particular emphasis on the role played by Parliament in drawing up the Treaty.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing of the Treaty in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Romano Prodi, outgoing President of the European Commission, gives an address in which he expresses his satisfaction with the political and institutional advances that the text represents for the functioning of the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the official ceremony held in Rome to mark the signing of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, delivers an address in which he welcomes, in particular, the political and institutional advances enshrined in the Treaty which will benefit the operation of the European Union.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, José Manuel Durão Barroso, President-designate of the European Commission, makes a speech in which he expresses his satisfaction with the progress represented by the text and stresses the need for European citizens to be well informed before the process of ratification is set in motion.

On 29 October 2004, at the ceremonial signing in Rome of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, José Manuel Durão Barroso, President-designate of the European Commission, makes a speech in which he expresses his satisfaction with the progress represented by the text and stresses the need for European citizens to be well informed before the process of ratification is set in motion.

On 29 October 2004, in Rome, the Heads of State or Government of the 25 Member States of the European Union sign the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 29 October 2004, following the ceremony held in Rome to mark the signing of the European Constitutional Treaty, the French President, Jacques Chirac, emphasises to the press the implications of the future European Constitution.

On 30 October 2004, the day after the signing, in Rome, of the European Constitutional Treaty, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung outlines the prevailing atmosphere at the ceremony which was compromised by the European Commission crisis.

On 30 October 2004, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro outlines the political crisis surrounding the signing, the previous day in Rome, of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 30 October 2004, the day after the signing, in Rome, of the European Constitutional Treaty, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is less than enthusiastic as it describes the official ceremony.

On 30 October 2004, the day after the signing, in Rome, of the European Constitutional Treaty, the German daily newspaper Die Welt outlines the extent to which the debates about the composition of the new European Commission compromised the friendly atmosphere at the ceremony.

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 what he sees as the two main failures of the work of the Convention: the representation of the Member States in the European Commission and the system for the ratification of treaties by unanimous decision of the European Union Member States.

In this interview excerpt, Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities from 1985 to 1995, believes that the majority of the Constitutional Treaty is taken up in the Lisbon Treaty, and feels little nostalgia for the European Convention or for any ‘constitutional' approach that gives rise to as much opposition as support.

On 13 July 2004, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) adopts a resolution in support of the European Constitution.

On 16 October 2004, the French daily newspaper Le Monde comments on the approval of the draft European Constitution by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

In its coverage of the signing, on 29 October 2004 in Rome, of the European Constitutional Treaty, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit speculates on the political consequences should one of the 25 Member States of the European Union refuse to ratify the text.

On 27 November 2004, in an article for the French daily newspaper Le Monde, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Chairman of the Party of European Socialists (PES), emphasises the importance of the European Constitution for the future development of the European Union.

On 13 December 2004, in an article for the Milan daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mario Monti, former Italian European Commissioner, proposes that the Twenty-Five undertake to find an alternative solution before beginning the ratification procedure for the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, should the text be rejected in one or more Member States of the European Union.

On 12 January 2005, the European Parliament issues a press release following its approval of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 8 April 2005, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-Chairman of the Greens/European Free Alliance Group in the European Parliament, attends a meeting in Montpellier in support of the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum to be held in France on 29 May 2005 on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 4 April 2005 in London, John Monks, Secretary-General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), emphasises the need for a Constitution for Europe and reaffirms the ETUC’s support for the Constitutional Treaty.

On 6 April 2005, in an interview for the French radio station France Inter, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, gives his views on the debates surrounding the ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty and defends the innovative aspects of the text.

On 27 April 2005, John Monks, British General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), expresses his support for the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and outlines the reasons prompting the supporters of British liberalism to reject the text.

On 9 May 2005, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the European Convention, explains to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix the importance that he attaches to the European Constitution.

On 12 May 2005, the day of the ratification of the European Constitution in the Bundestag, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung explains why the European Constitutional Treaty is not a true Constitution.

On 16 May 2005, in Warsaw, at the third Summit of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the European Council, rules out the possibility of a renegotiation of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the event of a ‘No’ vote in one of the referenda held for its ratification in certain European Union Member States.

On 2 July 2004, following the Brussels European Council held on 17 and 18 June 2004, Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister, outlines to the Bundestag the substance of the European Constitutional Treaty and emphasises its importance for a united Europe.

On 24 November 2004, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung analyses the idea of a European people and considers the question of holding a European referendum on the European Constitution.

On 24 February 2005, Joschka Fischer, German Foreign Minister, outlines to the Bundestag the progress of the European Constitution and calls for its rapid ratification of the draft Constitutional Treaty.

On 18 February 2004, on the margins of a tripartite meeting in Berlin attended by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, demonstrators call for a referendum to be held in Germany on the European Constitutional Treaty.

On 29 April 2005, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung welcomes the elimination of the final political obstacles to the ratification by the Bundestag of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 May 2005, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit describes the various European trends in the Bundestag before the sitting devoted to the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 May 2005, as German MPs vote on the question of the ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty, demonstrators stand on the steps of the Bundestag holding placards against the future Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 May 2005, outside the Bundestag, demonstrators in favour of the European Constitutional Treaty express their joy and satisfaction following the ratification of the treaty by German MPs.

On 12 May 2005, the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, delivers an address to the Bundestag during the sitting at which the European Constitutional Treaty is ratified by the German Parliament.

On 12 May 2005, at the session for the ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty by the Bundestag, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder calls on members to vote in favour of the new treaty.

On 12 May 2005, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung describes how the leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are campaigning within their own party in support of the European Constitution.

Following the vote held on 12 May 2005, the German MPs who voted in favour of the Constitutional Treaty assemble in the centre of the Parliament and welcome the result.

On 12 May 2005, as the Constitutional Treaty is ratified in Germany, the German daily newspaper Die Welt highlights the waning of influence of the Bundestag in the political life of the country.

‘A helping hand for France.’ On 12 May 2005, as the Bundestag ratifies the Constitutional Treaty, German cartoonist Heiko Sakurai illustrates the strong signal that this sends to the French public, which will have to vote by referendum on the European Constitution on 29 May 2005 (on the left, Jacques Chirac, French President, trying to convince the French people to vote ‘Yes’).

‘A breathtaking performance.’ On 16 May 2005, the German cartoonist Burkhard Mohr comments ironically on the speed with which the Bundestag ratified the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 9 July 2004, Hannes Farnleitner, Caspar Einem, Reinhard Eugen Bösch and Evelin Lichtenberger, former Austrian members of the Convention on the Future of Europe, hold a press conference in Vienna in which they outline the advances in the European Constitutional Treaty compared with former Community Treaties and with the present situation of the European Union.

On 28 June 2004, following the Brussels European Council held on 17 and 18 June, the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, calls on the Austrian Parliament to support the future European Constitutional Treaty.

On 10 May 2005, on the eve of the Austrian Parliament’s ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Austrian daily newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten criticises the arguments of those calling for a referendum to be held and reproaches the government for its lack of communication on the Constitutional Treaty.

On 11 May 2005, the day on which the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe is ratified by the Austrian Parliament, a final debate is held in the Austrian National Council on the text and its implications.

On 11 May 2005, the day on which the Austrian Parliament ratifies the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in Vienna, Ursula Plassnik, Austrian Foreign Minister, emphasises the historic significance of this text for the European Union.

On 11 May 2005, the day on which the Austrian Parliament ratifies the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in Vienna, the Austrian Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, emphasises the benefits of the Treaty for European citizens.

On 11 May 2005, the day on which the Austrian National Council ratifies the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Vienna daily newspaper Die Presse outlines the positions of the various parliamentary groups on the issue.

On 11 May 2005, the Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse speculates on the distrust of the general public for the future European Constitution and deplores the communication errors made by Europe’s governments and leaders regarding the proposed draft Constitutional Treaty.

On 26 February 2005 in Brussels, at a conference attended by party activists, Elio Di Rupo, President of the Belgian Francophone Socialist Party, delivers an address supporting the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 17 March 2005, Henri Lewalle, writer for the newspaper En Marche published twice weekly by the Belgian Christian Mutual Insurance Company, gives a mixed account of the advances and the setbacks, with particular regard to social policy, of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 27 April 2005, in an article for the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir, Pierre Galand, Belgian Socialist Senator, and José Verdin, Director of the André Renard Foundation in Liège, criticise the weaknesses of the Treaty establishing the European Constitution in the area of social policy.

On 28 April 2005, in an article for the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir, Stéphane Desgain, Vicky Goossens, Denis Horman and Jean-Marie Coen, members of the Brussels/Wallonia ATTAC movement, lament the lack of debates in Belgium on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and criticise the decision taken by the political authorities to proceed with its ratification by Parliament.

On 28 April 2005, in an article for the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir, Corinne Gobin, Director of the Groupe de recherche sur les acteurs internationaux et leurs discours (Research Group on International Actors and their Discourse — GRAID) at the Institute of Sociology of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, criticises the political consequences of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 28 April 2005, Francis Delpérée, Christian Democratic Senator and Professor of Public Law at the Catholic University of Louvain, urges the Senate to ratify the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 May 2005, in an article for the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Pascal Lefèvre, Member of the ‘European Constitution’ Unit of the Secretariat-General of the European Commission, demonstrates, using historical examples, that the European Constitutional Treaty will not be renegotiable if it fails to be ratified in the referendum to be held in France.

On 19 May 2005, Daniel Bacquelaine, Belgian MP and Chairman of the French-speaking Liberal Group in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, explains why he is calling on his colleagues to vote in favour of the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 19 May 2005, during the debates on the ratification by Parliament of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Marie Nagy, Green MP and alternate member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, makes a measured assessment of the text and calls on her colleagues in the Belgian Parliament to vote in favour of its ratification.

On 19 May 2005, during the debates on the ratification by Parliament of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Belgian Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, explains to MPs why he is calling on them to vote in favour of its ratification.

In his editorial of 20 May 2005, Jacques Gevers, Chief Editor of the Belgian weekly news magazine Le Vif/L’Express, harshly criticises the ambiguity of the arguments put forward in France by the supporters of the “No” vote in the campaign for the referendum to be held on 29 May on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 1 June 2005, in an article for the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Tanguy de Wilde d’Estmael, political scientist and Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, comments on the campaign for the French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and criticises the fallacious nature of some of the arguments put forward by those opposed to the draft Constitution.

Poster published by the Communist Workers’ Party of Belgium (WPB) calling for a national referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and urging the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty.

On 20 January 2005, crowds demonstrate in the streets of Madrid to protest against the proposed European Constitution on the margins of the campaign for the referendum on the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty to be held in Spain on 20 February.

On 11 February 2005, on the eve of the referendum held in Spain on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero delivers an address in Barcelona in support of the European Constitution.

On 11 February 2005 in Barcelona, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister, and Jacques Chirac, President of France, hold a joint press conference during which they answer questions on the European Constitution and on the place of Spain and France in the European Union.

On 12 February 2005, demonstrators march through the streets of Bilbao in protest against the proposed European Constitution on the margins of the campaign organised in Spain for the referendum of 20 February on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 15 February 2005, Gaspar Llamazares Trigo, General Coordinator of the ‘Izquierda Unida’ (United Left) coalition in Spain, holds a press conference in Murcia at which he announces his support for the ‘No’ vote in the Spanish referendum for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, to be held on 20 February.

On 17 February 2005, three days before the Spanish referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Parliament, Pasqual Maragall i Mira, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish Prime Minister, and José Montilla Aguilera, Spanish Minister of Industry, take part in a meeting of the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) in Cornellà de Llobregat, Barcelona, in support of the ‘Yes’ vote to the European Constitution.

Le 17 février 2005 à Barcelone, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Premier ministre espagnol, s'exprime en faveur du "oui" à la Constitution européenne dans la perspective du référendum organisé en Espagne le 20 février pour la ratification du traité constitutionnel.

On 18 Feburary 2005, in Madrid, Mariano Rajoy Brey, leader of the People’s Party (PP), argues in favour of the ‘Yes’ vote during a meeting organised two days before the national referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 29 September 2004, in an article for the French Conservative daily newspaper Le Figaro, Paul Thibaud, French philosopher, criticises the ambiguity of some of the concepts in the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and calls for the text to be rejected.

On 6 October 2004, in an article for the French daily newspaper Le Monde, Joël Decaillon, Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), and Daniel Retureau, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee, emphasise the social implications of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 27 October 2004, in an article for the French daily newspaper Libération, Gilles Martinet, former National Secretary of the French Socialist Party, calls for the adoption of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 22 November 2004, in an article for the Paris weekly news magazine L’Express, MPs Laurent Fabius and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, respectively the former French Prime Minister and a former French Socialist Minister, outline their opposing views on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 22 November 2004, a few days before the French Socialist Party’s internal referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, François Hollande, First Secretary of the Party and strong supporter of the ‘Yes’ vote, comments on the main articles of the text.

On 22 November 2004, a few days before the French Socialist Party’s internal referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, the Party’s number two and an active campaigner for the ‘No’ vote, comments on and criticises the main articles of the text.

‘Socialist Party: Yes or No to the European Constitution? "Sorry, but it's phrased like that: If anyone knows of a reason why this union should not take place …" "May they speak now or forever hold their peace!"' On 24 November 2004, the French cartoonist Million portrays the French Socialist Party's lively debates on the many issues involved in the internal referendum due to be held on 1 December, when the party's members will have the task of voting for or against the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

This montage, created on 30 November 2004, shows the key figures of the French Socialist Party (PS) in favour of the ‘Yes’ vote and those in favour of the ‘No’ vote in the referendum to be held on 29 May 2005 in France on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Top row, from left to right: Martine Aubry, MP and Mayor of Lille, François Hollande, First Secretary of the PS, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, MP, support the ‘Yes’ vote. Bottom row, from left to right: Henri Emmanuelli, MP, Laurent Fabius, number two in the PS, and Arnaud Montebourg, MP, support the ‘No’ vote.

On 14 April 2005, at a meeting in Montluçon, in the Allier department, François Hollande, First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (PS), expresses his support for the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum, scheduled to be held in France on 29 May 2005, on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 29 January 2005, Laurent Fabius, former French Prime Minister and number two in the French Socialist Party (PS), gives an address in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, in which he supports the ‘No’ vote in the referendum to be held on 29 May 2005 in France on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 10 February 2005, during a visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, Michel Barnier, French Foreign Minister and former representative of the European Commission in the European Convention, sets out the main implications of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 11 February 2005, Jacques Chirac, President of the French Republic, takes part in a rally in Barcelona during which he announces his support for the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum to be held on 20 February in Spain on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 6 March 2005, Nicolas Sarkozy, French Minister for the Interior and Regional Development and leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), gives an address at his party’s National Council to mark the beginning of the ‘Yes’ campaign for the referendum of 29 May on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 March 2005, surrounded by activists and supporters, Alain Bocquet, Communist MP for Nord-Pas-de-Calais and leader of the Communist Party in the French National Assembly, demonstrates in front of the former Metaleurop smelting works in Noyelles-Godault, Nord, at the launch of the ‘No’ campaign ‘La caravane pour le “non”’, in order to protest against the proposed European Constitution.

In March 2005, the French cartoonist Million portrays the lively debates taking place in French political circles concerning the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 7 April 2005, in Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine, Jean-Marie Le Pen, MEP and leader of the National Front (FN), expresses his opposition to the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe at the presentation of the book by the party’s number two, Jean-Claude Martinez, entitled ‘How to read the European Constitution from A to Z’.

On 14 April 2005, in the presence of senior European political figures in Lyons, François Bayrou, leader of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), supports the ‘Yes’ vote in the French campaign for the referendum of 29 May on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 14 April 2005, at a rally in Paris, Marie-Georges Buffet, National Secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF), announces her support for the ‘No’ vote in the referendum of 29 May on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 16 April 2005, Gianni Marsilli, leader writer for the Italian daily newspaper L’Unità, considers the consequences of a possible victory of the ‘No’ vote in the referendum for the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty in France.

On 19 April 2005, a French Socialist Party (PS) activist puts up posters in Paris calling for a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum to be held on 29 May 2005 in France for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 28 April 2005, in an article for the French weekly newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur, Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, rejects the arguments often put forward by supporters of the ‘No’ vote in the campaign for the referendum in France on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 31 May 2005, the French daily newspaper Le Monde considers the reasons for the negative vote in France on the European Constitutional Treaty and recommends that a list of the current problems be drawn up with a view to breaking the deadlock.

On 31 May 2005, in an article published in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro two days after the rejection of the European Constitutional Treaty by the French people, Jean-François Poncet, former French Foreign Minister, assesses the consequences of this vote for Europe and for France.

On 2 June 2005, Jean Daniel, cofounder and Director of the French weekly newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur, analyses the reasons which prompted the French people to reject the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the referendum held four days earlier.

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, considers the reasons for the ‘No’ vote in the referendum held in France on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the treaty which resulted from the work of the Convention.

On 29 May 2005, the referendum held in France for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe results in a victory for the ‘no’ camp. Cartoonist Plantu illustrates the consequences of the French vote for the future of the ratification process for the European Constitutional Treaty and paints an ironic picture of the lively debates among the general public on the question of Europe.

On 7 April 2005, demonstrators march through the streets of Athens and in front of the Greek Parliament in protest against the draft European Constitution and call for a national referendum to be held before the Parliament votes to approve the Treaty on 19 April 2005.

On 28 October 2004, at the launch of the Irish Government’s information campaign on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern emphasises the importance of the Constitutional Treaty for Ireland’s future role in the European Union.

On 21 April 2005, Dermot Ahern, Irish Foreign Minister, emphasises the new provisions included in the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the fields of European Union security and defence.

On 12 May 2005, Michael McDowell, Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, analyses various aspects of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and emphasises the Irish Government’s commitment to the Treaty.

On 12 May 2005 in Dublin, Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister, delivers an address in which he emphasises the importance of a Constitution for the European Union and stresses his country’s commitment to the European cause.

In May 2005, posters displayed in the streets of Rome by activists from the Democrats of the Left (DS) call on Italian citizens to send emails to their French friends encouraging them to vote in favour of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 10 November 2004, in an interview for the Luxembourg socio-cultural radio station 100.7, Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg Foreign Minister, outlines the procedure for the referendum to be held in summer 2005 in Luxembourg on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 28 January 2005, in an article for the Luxembourg weekly newspaper D’Lëtzebuerger Land, Gaston Vogel, a lawyer at the Luxembourg Bar, comments on the referendum due to be held on 10 July 2005 in Luxembourg for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and outlines his arguments against the text.

On 11 February 2005, in the Luxembourg national weekly newspaper D’Lëtzebuerger Land, Ben Fayot, Chairman of the Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies and former member of the European Convention, outlines his arguments in favour of the ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum due to be held on 10 July 2005 in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 4 February 2005, the Luxembourg weekly newspaper D’Lëtzebuerger Land analyses the position of the country’s various political parties on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In spring 2005, as part of the information campaign about the national referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Luxembourg Government distributes a leaflet to its citizens to raise awareness about the substance of the text.

On 9 May 2005, in an interview for RTL radio, Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs, outlines the aims of the Luxembourg Government’s information campaign on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and how the campaign will be conducted.

On 28 June 2005, two weeks before the national referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minster and President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, explains to the Chamber of Deputies why his government supports the ratification of the text.

On 2 July 2005, in the daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort, commenting on the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe to be held in Luxembourg on 10 July, Philippe Poirier and Patrick Dumont, researchers at the University of Luxembourg, analyse the specific features of the Luxembourg situation compared with the French and Dutch examples.

On 2 July 2005, Jacques Santer, former Luxembourg Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission, comments in the daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort on the referendum for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe to be held in Luxembourg on 10 July and stresses the benefits that the Constitution will bring to the country.

On 6 July 2005, in an article published in the French daily newspaper Le Monde, Jürgen Stoldt, Coeditor of the Luxembourg monthly political and cultural magazine Forum, calls on his fellow citizens to ratify the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the referendum to be held on 10 July so that Luxembourg may play a positive role in the revival of a European political union.

On 8 July 2005, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister, gives an interview to the Socialist daily newspaper Tageblatt in which he gives an initial assessment of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union which ended recently and discusses the referendum scheduled to be held in the country two days later on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

‘Polling booth 1: Europe needs you! “Convinced Europeans?”’ On 10 July 2005, the Luxembourg cartoonist, Schneider, depicts the decisive role played by Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister, during the national referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and questions the national electorate’s commitment to Europe.

On 12 July 2005, the Luxembourg cartoonist, Schneider, depicts the relief of Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister, following the victory of the ‘Yes’ vote in the national referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

A series of posters published by the ‘NO to the European Constitution’ Committee as part of their campaign in connection with the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 10 July 2005 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

A leaflet distributed by the ‘NO to the European Constitution’ Committee as part of their campaign in connection with the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 10 July 2005 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

A series of posters published by the National Union of Students in Luxembourg (UNEL) to encourage electors to vote ‘No’ in the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 10 July 2005 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Poster published by the Luxembourg Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (LCGB) calling on electors to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 10 July 2005 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

On 11 July 2005, the day after the referendum held in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Luxembourg Socialist daily newspaper Tageblatt comments on the various reactions to the ‘Yes’ vote.

On 11 July 2005, the day after the referendum held in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the daily newspaper Luxemburger Wort praises the Luxembourg people for voting in favour of the text, despite the climate of crisis within the European Union.

On 11 July 2005, the day after the referendum held in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung takes a detailed look at the arguments that played a part in determining the vote of the Luxembourg people.

On 11 July 2005, the day after the referendum held in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir is pessimistic as to whether the ‘Yes’ vote will really help the European Union to emerge from its current crisis.

On 11 July 2005, the day after the referendum held in Luxembourg on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro emphasises this positive signal for the European Constitution but considers that it will not be enough to enable Europe to move forward again.

On 15 July 2005, the Luxembourg weekly newspaper D’Lëtzebuerger Land comments on the Luxembourgers’ approval of the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in the referendum held on 10 July.

In spring 2005, the Luxembourg Government launches a radio and television information campaign with the aim of informing the Luxembourg people of the implications of the referendum to be held in the country on 10 July 2005 for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 25 April 2005, Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, delivers an address to the students and academic staff of the College of Europe, Bruges, in which he emphasises the importance for European citizenship of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In April 2005, in an article for the magazine Internationale Spectator, Atzo Nicolaï, Dutch Minister for European Affairs, emphasises the role of European citizens in the debates about the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 May 2005, in an article for the Bavarian daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Bernard Bot, Dutch Foreign Minister, analyses the situation in the Netherlands three weeks away from the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 19 May 2005, in Leiden, commenting on the referendum held on 1 June in the Netherlands on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Bernard Bot, Netherlands Foreign Minister, delivers an address in which he emphasises the importance of this text for his country and for the European Union.

In his editorial of 24 May 2005, Ferdinando Riccardi, Editor-in-Chief of Agence Europe in Brussels, speculates as to the reasons that are leading to the lack of interest of the Dutch people in the European integration process and in the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

Poster published by the Dutch Green Party ‘Groenlinks’ calling on electors to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 1 June 2005 in the Netherlands.

A leaflet, setting out the case for rejection, distributed by opponents to the European Constitution during the campaign in the run-up to the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 1 June 2005 in the Netherlands.

Booklet distributed by the Netherlands authorities as part of the campaign which preceded the referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, held on 1 June in the Netherlands.

During the campaign for the referendum held on 1 June 2005 in the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, posters are displayed, as they are here in The Hague, calling on voters to accept or reject the Constitutional Treaty.

In the evening of 1 June 2005, following the rejection by his fellow citizens of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the Netherlands Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, issues an official statement in which he expresses his disappointment at the outcome of the referendum.

‘Uncertain.’ On 3 June 2005, following the rejection by the Netherlands of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the German cartoonist Mohr speculates on the future of the European integration process and paints a picture of a Europe that has broken down.

On 6 April 2005, in Prague, Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, presents his book Say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the European Constitution, in which he encourages his fellow citizens to find out about the constitutional text before taking a decision in a possible national referendum on its ratification in late 2006 or early 2007. However, the words ‘SAY NO TO THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION’ in red letters leave no doubt as to his personal opinion.

On 21 April 2004, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit comments on the political U-turn made by Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, over the holding of a referendum in the United Kingdom on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 7 December 2004, in London, Jack Straw, British Foreign Minister, delivers to the Centre for European Reform an address in which he emphasises the importance of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe for the United Kingdom and for the European Union.

On 19 January 2005, in London, Denis MacShane, British Minister of State for Europe, delivers to the Royal Institute for International Affairs an address in which he emphasises the importance of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe for the United Kingdom and for the European Union.

On 9 February 2005, Jack Straw, British Foreign Minister, outlines to the House of Commons the implications of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe for the United Kingdom and for the European Union.

On 2 March 2005, Denis MacShane, British Minister for Europe, delivers to the Central European University in Budapest an address in which he emphasises the benefits of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe for the future of the European Union and for the United Kingdom.

In June 2006, in London, British anti-European activist Ray Egan, dressed to resemble John Bull, a national personification of England, welcomes the rejection by French and Dutch citizens of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 7 June 2005, Luxembourg cartoonist Carlo Schneider illustrates the decision taken the previous day by the United Kingdom to put the plan for a referendum on the European Constitutional Treaty on hold following the rejection of the text by France and the Netherlands.

On the evening of 29 May 2005, following the announcement of the ‘No’ vote in the French referendum on the Constitutional Treaty, the Presidents of the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission issue a joint declaration in Brussels which underlines the need for national and European authorities to reflect, in due course, on the outcome of all the stages of the ratification process.

On the evening of 1 June 2005, following the announcement of the ‘No’ vote in the Dutch referendum on the Constitutional Treaty, the Presidents of the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission issue a joint declaration in Brussels, in which they announce that an in-depth analysis of the situation will be conducted in order to make collective progress with the European project.

The ‘No’ vote wins in the referenda held on 29 May in France and on 1 June in the Netherlands for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 1 June 2005, in an article published in the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Paul Nihoul, Professor of Competition Law at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), comments on the debates surrounding the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and considers the scope and the validity of the socio-economic arguments put forward by the opponents of the draft Constitution.

On 1 June 2005, in an article for the daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Drieu Godefridi, founder and Director of the Hayek Institute, a liberal think-tank based in Brussels, comments on the negative outcome of the French referendum on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and attacks the economic arguments put forward by the opponents of the draft Constitution, countering them with Anglo-American-style neo-liberal theories.

‘The life cycle of the European Constitutional Treaty.’ On 1 June 2005, after the French ‘No’ vote on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, German cartoonist Sakurai illustrates the end of the process that should have resulted in the establishment of a European Constitutional Treaty.

On 4 June 2005, commenting on the negative outcome of the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Mark Eyskens, former Belgian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, argues in favour of a plan for socio-economic recovery in Europe.

‘And the meteoric journey continues!’ On 6 June 2005, after the negative outcome of the French and Dutch referendums for the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, German cartoonist Sakurai takes an ironic look at the attempts of the Franco-German duo (Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder) to revive the draft European Constitutional Treaty.

On 9 June 2005, commenting in the Antwerp daily newspaper De Standaard on the negative outcome of the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Jean-Luc Dehaene, former Belgian Prime Minister and former Vice-President of the European Convention, calls for the suspension of the ratification process and for a period of reflection on the nature of European integration.

On 10 June 2005, commenting on the negative outcome of the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Philippe de Schoutheete de Tervarent, former Permanent Representative of Belgium to the European Union, calls on European leaders to pause for thought in order to overcome the existential crisis that is affecting the European Union.

On 2 June 2005, following the rejection by referendum in France and the Netherlands of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister, delivers to the Humboldt University in Berlin an address in which he emphasises the need to convince European citizens of the importance of this Treaty for the future of the European Union.

On 15 June 2005, in a lengthy article published in the French daily newspaper Le Monde, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former President of the French Republic and former President of the European Convention, analyses the causes and the political consequences of the negative outcome of the referendum held on 29 May 2005 in France on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 6 July 2005, Karel De Gucht, Belgian Foreign Minister, delivers to the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence an address in which he proposes several solutions aimed at enabling the European Union to emerge from its current crisis following the rejection by referendum in France and the Netherlands of the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 12 July 2005, the Netherlands Prime Minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, publishes in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro an article in which he considers the reasons behind the Dutch and French ‘Noes’ in the referenda on the ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty and reaffirms to his European partners the Netherlands’ commitment to further European integration on the basis of new economic objectives.

On 30 June 2005, taking note of the crisis in which the European Union finds itself following the rejection by France and the Netherlands of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, Dominique de Villepin, French Prime Minister, publishes simultaneously in the newspaper Le Monde and several other European daily newspapers an article in which he calls for the creation of a political Europe on the basis of high-priority major projects.

‘Euro-sorrow’. In 2005, the German cartoonist, Walter Hanel, depicts the crisis affecting the European Union following the rejection by French and Dutch voters of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

‘Because of the Dutch “No”, London wants to call a halt to the European Treaty ratification process. That’s a good solution: that way, the “Yeses” and the “Noes” neither win nor lose … the result’s a draw.’ In 2005, Portuguese cartoonists Aníbal and Reimão take an ironic look at the British reaction to the results of the referendum held in the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In 2005, the Luxembourg cartoonist Schneider portrays the negative result in the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe and emphasises the crisis within public opinion with regard to Europe.

In October 2005, in an article in the Italian journal Affari Esteri, the Italian diplomat, Guido Lenzi, analyses the consequences of the ‘No’ votes in the referenda for the ratification of the European Constitutional Treaty held in France and the Netherlands.

In this interview, Jacques Santer, former member of the European Convention in his capacity as Personal Representative of the Luxembourg Prime Minster, Jean-Claude Juncker, analyses the negative results of the referenda held in spring 2005 in France and the Netherlands on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

In this interview, Pierre Moscovici, former Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament, former Minister for European Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry and former representative of the French Government in the Convention on the Future of Europe, discusses the results of the referendums held in 2005 in France and the Netherlands on the ratification of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

At the meeting of the European Council of 16 and 17 June 2005, the Heads of State or Government of the Member States of the European Union decide to institute a period of general reflection on the worries and concerns expressed at the time of the referendums in France and the Netherlands and agree to adapt, where necessary, the timetable for ratification, without necessarily questioning the validity of continuing the process.

On 17 June 2005, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro outlines the hesitations of the Twenty-Five over whether the ratification process of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe should be continued.

‘EU Summit: EU — RIP — The Constitution.’ To mark the Brussels European Council held on 16 and 17 June 2005 and attended by the Heads of State or Government of the 25 Member States of the European Union, the German cartoonist, Walter Hanel, demonstrates his pessimism about the future of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

On 17 June 2005, at the end of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June, Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), expresses his disappointment at the failure of the negotiations on the financing of the European Union budget for the period 2007–2013.

At the end of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June 2005, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the European Council, expresses his disappointment at the failure of the negotiations on the financing of the European Union budget for the period 2007–2013.

At the end of the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June 2005, Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, gives his views on the failure of the negotiations on the financing of the European Union budget for the period 2007–2013.