European Council conclusions – an assessment

After conclusion at dawn on June 23, 2007 of the negotiations about the mandate for the next Inter Governmental Conference (IGC) Europe hailed the success of the European Council (and German Chancellor Merkel in particular) which was able to overstep the standstill created after the rejection of the Constitution in France and Holland in 2005. Truth be told, the agreement on the mandate is indeed a great accomplishment given the ‘red lines' that some heads of government brought to the negotiating table and the slim chances of success that most believed just a few days before the European Council. An assessment of the real gains and losses of the mandate is to follow as compared to the provisions of the Constitution...