Brussels, 21/06/04
On 18th June 2004, the Heads of Government and State came finally to a difficult agreement on the European Constitution. This agreement is important given the new situation after the unification of Europe which has created more blocking capacities. This historical event should have been a prolonged moment of celebration for the ETUC but we regret that the agreement has reduced ambitions, compared to the draft of the European Convention.
The ETUC welcomed the outcome of the European Convention in which the ETUC had a place as observer. The Convention made two big steps forward by integrating the charter of fundamental rights into the Constitution and by making progress on social issues.
Compared to the text drafted by the European Convention the new Constitution is one step back and a second best solution: Too much respect was paid to the British “red lines”. The late right arm-twisting shows the limits of the intergovernmental method compared to the more open and transparent process of the European Convention.
The Intergovernmental Conference took a step back. After the failure at the last European Summit in December 2003 and the disappointing turnout of the elections to the European Parliament, the Heads of Government and State agreed to a lower common denominator than the Convention.
Yet, compared to the Nice Treaty, the new European Constitution is nevertheless a big step forward - with the specific recognition of the role of the Social Partners and the Tripartite Summit, the incorporation of the Charter of fundamental rights, gender equality as value of the Union, a social clause, a legal base for Services of General Economic Interest and new possibilities of economic coordination inside the Euro zone.
The new Constitution will be assessed in detail by the ETUC on July 13 but this initial view is that it is a distinct improvement for workers and trade unions across Europe over the present situation.
The new Constitution is a starting point of a long process and not the end of the story. The ETUC will do its best to ensure that the first step is not the last and that Social Europe makes strong progress in future.