The accidental constitution. The story of the European Convention

Abstract:

Never before had the European Union subjected itself to such intense scrutiny as it did when it convened the European Convention under the leadership of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The Convention was comprised of 105 full members and 102 alternates representing 28 democracies, and was called to consider the future of the European Union and its relationship with 28 present and future Member States. This book tells the story of that Convention.

The work is organised in five parts supplemented by a Documentary Annex. Part one sets out the background to the pressures for change that led to the establishment of the Convention. The initial stages from the Nice and Laeken declarations to the first outline 'skeleton' treaty produced by the steering body are covered in part two. The third part deals with the issues addressed by the Convention and the role of the working groups of Convention members in shaping the building blocks of the future constitutional treaty. The troubled waters of 2002 and 2003 which featured the splits among Member States regarding the precise constitutional texts are discussed in part four. The End Game is the title given to part five and appropriately so, as it covers the Convention's final frantic weeks, ending with an evaluation of the process and its outcome.

The book will interest scholars and students of European studies and constitutional issues.