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 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.

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.

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 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 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 Convention method for reforming the European treaties.

In this interview excerpt, Gérard Deprez, Member of the European Parliament from 1984 to 1999 (European People’s Party (EPP)), from 1999 to 2004 (Citizens’ Movement for Change (MCC)), from 2004 to 2009 and since 2014 (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)), describes the work and results of the Convention on the Future of Europe from 2002 to 2003. He emphasises the fact that this European Convention was requested by the European Parliament.

On 27 February 2002, the Praesidium sends its draft rules of procedure to the Convention on the Future of Europe. This document sets out how sessions are to be organised, the role of those involved and how they are to work together.

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, 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, 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, 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, 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 excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Honorary Belgian Ambassador and Special Adviser to European Commissioner Michel Barnier from 1999 to 2004, looks back at the work of the two European Commission representatives to the Convention on the Future of Europe, António Vitorino and Michel Barnier.

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 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.

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.

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.

On 19 and 20 June 2003, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing submits the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, drawn up by the European Convention, to the Thessaloniki European Council. The final version of the text will be approved on 10 July and forwarded to the President-in-Office of the European Council in Rome on 18 July 2003.

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.

On 23 September 2002, working group I on the subsidiarity principle submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group’s conclusions include a series of proposals designed to improve and facilitate the application and monitoring of the subsidiarity principle.

On 22 October 2002, working group II submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group has examined the practicalities and consequences of the possible integration of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights into the treaties and the EU’s potential accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

On 1 October 2002, working group III on legal personality submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group’s conclusions emphasise the need for the European Union, as a subject of international law, to be given a single legal personality, which would also enable the treaties to be merged.

On 22 October 2002, working group IV on national parliaments submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group recommends a genuine recognition of the role of national parliaments in the Constitutional Treaty, greater involvement of national parliaments in European guidelines, and better coordination between them within the COSAC network.

On 4 November 2002, working group V on complementary competences submits the revised version of its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group recommends that the Constitutional Treaty should contain a title on competences in general so as to define their type and scope.

On 21 October 2002, working group VI on economic governance submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group makes a series of recommendations on broad EU policy guidelines, the Stability and Growth Pact, the open method of coordination and taxation in the Member States.

On 16 December 2002, working group VII on EU external action submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group emphasises the benefits of concerted action on the international stage and makes recommendations on instruments, provisions, decision-making arrangements, etc., in a bid to improve coherence and efficiency between institutions and stakeholders.

On 16 December 2002, working group VIII on defence submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. In a bid to improve effectiveness and solidarity in defence matters, the group mainly focused on crisis management and the response to the terrorist threat.

On 29 November 2002, working group IX on the simplification of legal instruments and legislative procedures submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The group’s report seeks to improve the comprehensibility of the European system and the democratic legitimacy of European Union acts.

On 2 December 2002, working group X on freedom, security and justice submits its final report to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The report asserts that a common general legal framework should enable more effective efforts to combat dangers such as drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings and terrorism.

On 4 February 2003, the Secretariat of the European Convention publishes a revised version of the final report of working group XI on social Europe. The report outlines the aims and powers of the European Union in the social field and also the role of both sides of industry (the ‘social partners’).

On 28 October 2002, the members of the Convention receive the preliminary draft Constitutional Treaty drawn up by the Praesidium that will be presented by the President at the plenary session. The aim of this text is to illustrate the basis and structure of a potential treaty without prejudice to the future results of the Convention as to the specific wording of the articles.

On 2 April 2003, the Praesidium presents a draft on European democratic life to the members of the Convention. The text relates to Title VI of Part I of the Constitutional Treaty and contains various comments and a summary table showing the proposed new provisions.

On 2 April 2003, the Praesidium presents a draft on membership of the Union, including the criteria of eligibility for accession and the procedure for voluntary withdrawal, to the members of the Convention. The text relates to Title X of the Constitutional Treaty and contains various comments and a summary table showing the proposed new provisions.

On 2 April 2003, the Praesidium presents a document setting out the general and final provisions for Part III of the Constitutional Treaty to the members of the European Convention. The draft contains a summary table showing the proposed new provisions in relation to those in the existing treaties.

On 2 April 2003, the Praesidium presents a draft on the European Union and its immediate environment to the members of the Convention. This document, which relates to Title IX of the future Constitutional Treaty, contains a draft text and related comments.

On 23 April 2003, the Praesidium presents draft articles for Part I to the members of the Convention in anticipation of the plenary session to be held on 15 and 16 May. The draft, concerning the EU institutions, goes beyond the provisions of the Treaty of Nice.

On 23 April 2003, based on the recommendations from working groups VII and VIII, the Praesidium presents a draft setting out the structure and content of the proposed articles relating to the EU’s external action.

On 26 May 2003, the Praesidium presents the draft text of Part I of the Constitutional Treaty, together with the Protocols on the applicability of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and the role of the national parliaments, to the members of the European Convention. This draft is a revised version of previous proposals in the light of reactions and debates in the plenary session.

On 26 May 2003, the Praesidium presents a draft text of Part IV of the Treaty establishing the Constitution (general and final provisions), with the changes to the previous version highlighted, to the members of the European Convention. Explanatory notes on each provision are annexed to the document.

On 27 May 2003, the Praesidium presents a draft of the text of the second part of the Constitution, concerning the Charter of Fundamental Rights, to the members of the Convention. The draft is preceded by an explanatory note and contains various suggestions for technical amendments that are highlighted in the text.

On 27 May 2003, the Praesidium presents the draft text of Parts II, III and IV to the members of the Convention. This draft was preceded by many previous versions. It takes account of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and proposes a series of new provisions. The most recent changes are highlighted in some parts of the text.

On 27 May 2003, the Praesidium presents a series of comments concerning Part III of the Constitutional Treaty to the members of the European Convention. This document supplements the draft text in Parts II, III and IV, presented the same day. It reproduces the sections in Part III to which the Praesidium has made changes and adds an explanatory note.

On 2 June 2003, the Praesidium publishes a revised version of Title IV of Part I containing various amendments and corrections based on the proposals of the members of the Convention. This new version follows on from the introductory note to the draft presented on 26 May.

On 10 June 2003, the Praesidium presents a revised version of the text of the Preamble and Part I of the Treaty establishing the Constitution, together with the Protocols on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and the role of the national parliaments, to the members of the European Convention.

On 12 June 2003, the Praesidium submits a revised version of Parts II, III and IV of the Constitution to the members of the European Convention. This version summarises the previous drafts and particularly concerns horizontal provisions, economic governance and voting on CFSP matters.

On 4 July 2003, the Secretariat forwards the corrected text of the draft Constitution, submitted by the President of the Convention to the European Council meeting in Thessaloniki on 20 June, to the members of the European Convention.

On 9 July 2003, in anticipation of the final plenary session to be held the next day, the Praesidium forwards the text of Parts III and IV of the draft Constitution, incorporating the amendments made following that day’s session, to the members of the Convention.

On 18 July 2003, the Secretariat forwards the final text of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, as submitted to the President of the European Council in Rome the same day, to the members of the European 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, 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 excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Honorary Belgian Ambassador and Special Adviser to European Commissioner Michel Barnier from 1999 to 2004, looks back at the debates held within the European Convention Working Group on Defence, chaired by Michel Barnier, and describes the relations between this group and the Working Group on External Action.