From the Convention to the IGC: Visioning the Future of Europe

The European Union now faces a difficult and defining moment as it prepares a great leap forward from the Treaty of Rome to the Constitution of Rome. The draft Constitution, which is on the table, creates an institutional architecture that is unsustainable for the long term future of Europe. The robust constitutional process for economic integration is not sufficiently supported by comparable constitutional safeguards for political integration. Therefore, the strategic task of the Intergovernmental conference is to create a political consensus on building constitutional bridges for converging economic and political integration. How this might be achieved is explored through a conceptual framework outlining four scenarios for the future of European foreign policy. The model indicates the possibility of dynamic movement from the current directoire model to the long term Europeanisation of foreign policy through intermediate mechanisms for democratic widening and constitutional deepening.