The Future of the EU Constitution – The German Presidency and beyond

In her speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 17 January 2007, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Europe it faces a “historic failure” if it does not revive the deadlocked European constitution. It is the ambition of the German EU presidency to reach a decision on what to do with the constitution on the June (21/22) summit. The constitutional process should then  be brought to a successful conclusion by the next European elections in early 2009. It is the intention of the German presidency to save as much as possible of the original draft treaty.  At the special leaders’ meeting in Berlin on 25 March 2007,  50 years after the signing of the Treaty of Rome, the German presidency will - in an attempt to unblock the road to the constitution - issue a “Berlin Declaration” which is supposed to rekindle  the European ideals and values which have inspired European integration. For the June summit, Merkel has promised to present a “roadmap”on future treaty reforms, though nothing substantial can be expected before the parliamentary and presidential elections in France.
The EU constitution is a delicate and difficult issue.  Will the German presidency succeed in reviving the constitutional process? Which options: a mini-treaty (Sarkozy), a division into a constitutional and a political part (Michaele Schreyer) or  new negotiations, are feasible? Does a “europe-wide referendum” on the constitution as promoted by the Greens make good political sense? Is it really a “historical  failure” if the constitution cannot be revived or is there an alternative to the constitutional treaty?

Speakers :      Dr Kalypso Nicolaïdis, University Lecturer in InternationalRelations at Oxford University and Fellow at St Antony's College

                        Eva Lichtenberger, Member of European Parliament and alternate member of the EU Constitutional Convention

Moderator :     Bert Lanting, Journalist “De Volkskrant”