Judging from the almost universally positive reaction by its 105 members, drawn from the European Union's institutions, national governments and parliaments and from representatives of the 10 states preparing to join next year, the Convention on the Future of Europe's draft constitutional treaty adopted yesterday is a success.
It is fair to base such a preliminary judgment on their opinions. The Convention's open method of working was a far superior way to produce such a text than the secretive inter-governmental negotiations responsible for previous EU treaties. The substantive draft simplifies and renders more intelligible the EU's objectives, values, institutions and procedures, as a constitutional text must do. The compromises necessary to produce the consensus proclaimed yesterday in Brussels by the Convention's chairman, Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, have been recognised as creative by most participants.
If this positive assessment reflects the national, partisan and institutional positions of those they represent there is a real prospect that the text adopted will become the broad basis for the inter-governmental conference which must now agree a new treaty, rather than only a starting point for it. That will be decided at an EU summit in Thessaloniki next weekend, which will initiate these negotiations. They may well conclude during Ireland's EU presidency next year.
Among the main changes that would be ushered in were this text to be accepted would be an end to the rotating presidency, replaced by a president of the European Council elected for two and a half years and by a new system of rotation in the Council of Ministers. In a compromise between larger and smaller states all members will be represented on the European Commission, but with only 15 having voting rights at any one time. Debate will continue on whether the Commission is a loser in this agreement. It is not satisfied this will be be an easier system to manage; but most decisions will now be made by majority voting reflecting populations and states.
Efficiency and legitimacy have been balanced off in the final document, for the most part successfully. This is not a plan for a superstate, since national political rights are respected and strengthened. It does agree to a substantial development of the EU's foreign policy, security and military functions, which are clearly defined and yet respect national positions.
This reflects a solid consensus that it is necessary to have a more coherent EU role in world affairs in such an uncertain period. The precise details remain to be worked out, but the overall framework looks likely to withstand scrutiny in the treaty negotiations. One participant said yesterday the draft text marks a transition from a Europe of markets to a Europe of citizens. While there is still room for argument about how far that road has been travelled, the fact that the journey is well under way is welcome indeed.