Treaty establishing a Constitution for
Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for
Europe
Type of
treaty
Unimplemented constitution
Drafted
June 2004
Signed
- location
29 October 2004
Rome
Sealed
8 November 2004
Signatories
25 EU members
Wikisource original text:
Treaty establishing a Constitution for
Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution
for Europe (TCE), commonly referred to as
the European Constitution, was an interna-
tional treaty intended to create a constitution
for the European Union. It would have re-
placed the existing Treaties of the European
Union with a single text, given limited legal
force to the Charter of Fundamental Rights
(which was incorporated into the Constitu-
tion), and expanded Qualified Majority Voting
into policy areas which had previously been
decided by unanimity among member states.
It was signed in 2004 by representatives
of
the then 25 member states of
the
European Union and needed to be ratified by
all member states to enter into force. 13
member states completed the ratification
procedure, but the rejection of the Constitu-
tion by French and Dutch voters in May and
June 2005, called the future of the Constitu-
tion
into question.
In
light
of
these
developments three member states, Finland,
Germany and Slovakia, abandoned their par-
tially complete ratification procedures and a
further seven member states
indefinitely
postponed consideration.
Following the period of reflection, the
European Council meeting in June 2007 de-
cided to start negotiations on a Reform
Treaty as a replacement. Known as the Lis-
bon Treaty, it too was put into question when
the Republic of Ireland failed to ratify it in a
referendum.[1]
History
Drafting
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the
European Convention
Romano P
Commissi
The drafting for European Constitution began
in a call for a new debate on the future of
Europe at the Laeken European Council in
December 2001. A European Convention was
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
1
founded