The Convention on the Future of Europe has approved a draft constitution that would change radically the way decisions are made in the European Union, writes Denis Staunton.
The convention's chairman, Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, declared yesterday that, after 16 months of negotiations, he was ready to present the draft to EU leaders at a summit next week in Greece.
"I will now go and present on your behalf to the European Council in Thessaloniki our joint work, which will provide the basis for a future constitutional treaty of Europe," he said.
The Government's representative at the convention, Mr Dick Roche, welcomed the final draft of the constitution, which won broad support at the convention. "It's a very good text. I have no difficulty recommending it to the Government," he said.
The declaration of consensus followed heated negotiations and last-minute attempts to revise some of the constitution's key elements. Mr John Bruton TD, a member of the convention's praesidium, said the delegates from 28 countries had defied expectations by agreeing a common text.
"I'm absolutely delighted. Nobody would have thought a week ago that 204 people representing a range of different countries, representing 550 million people, could have agreed as they have done on a text like this," he said.
The German Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, said the importance of the new constitution for Europe's future could not be overestimated. "For me, the constitution is the most important treaty since the foundation of the European Economic Community," he said.
Among the changes proposed is the appointment of a president of the European Council who would co-ordinate and drive forward the work of EU leaders for up to five years. Other councils, such as meetings of finance and justice ministers, would continue to be chaired by member-states in rotation, but the chair would change every year rather than every six months as at present.
Each member-state would continue to nominate a member of the Commission, but only 15 commissioners would be allowed to vote. Voting rights would rotate every five years on the basis of equal rotation between member-states.
The EU would have its own foreign minister, with a seat on the Commission but answerable to EU leaders and foreign ministers. Foreign policy and tax issues will continue to be decided by unanimity, but most other issues will be decided by a qualified majority.
Mr Bruton said he hoped Irish voters would support the EU constitution in a referendum.