Airstrip One

The Second Draft - 7th February 2003

Giscard D'Estaing has published a detailed, second draft of the European Constitution, taking into account the lobbying of the countries and the Commission in the European Convention. The document is a delicate compromise that appeals to the majority of EU members. It has sixteen clauses:

Article 1: Establishment of the Union

1. Reflecting the will of the peoples and the States of Europe to build a common future, this Constitution establishes a Union [entitled...], within which the policies of the Member States shall be coordinated, and which shall administer certain competences on a federal basis.

2. The Union shall respect the national identities of its Member States.

3. The Union shall be open to all European States whose peoples share the same values, respect them and are committed to promoting them together.

On the one hand the draft Constitution drops the much hated phrase, "ever closer union" and boldly declares the EU's status as a federal structure. The Europhiles obviously view this Constitution as the founding text for Monnet's vision of Europe. They have arrived at their ideal.

Article 2: The Union's Values

The Union is founded on the respect for human dignity, liberty, the rule of law and respect for human rights, values that are common to the member States. Its aim is a society at peace, through the practices of tolerance, justice and solidarity.

Note the influence of Christian democratic thinking. No mention of God but a collectivist view of society embodied in 'solidarity' - a society that supports all of its participants. Kiss individualism and unbridled entrepreneurship goodbye.

Article 3: The Union's Objectives

1. The Union's aim is to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its peoples.

2. The Union shall work for a Europe of sustainable development based on balanced economic growth and social justice, with a free single market, and economic and monetary union, aiming at full employment and generating high levels of competitiveness and living standards. It shall practice social cohesion, equality between men and women, and environmental and social protection, and shall develop scientific and technological advance including the discovery of space [Ed - lebensraum?]. It shall encourage solidarity between generations and between States, and equal opportunities for all.

3. The Union shall constitute an area of freedom, security and justice, in which its shared values are developed and the richness of its cultural diversity is respected.

4. In defending Europe's independence and interests, the Europe shall seek to advance its values in the wider world. It shall contribute to the sustainable development of the earth, solidarity and mutual respect among peoples, eradication of poverty and protection of human rights, strict observance of internationally accepted legal commitments, and peace between States.

5. These objectives shall be pursued by appropriate means, depending on the extent to which the relevant competences are attributed to the Union by this Constitution.

The marriage of the Rhenish model and transnationalist progressivism. Notice how the document attempts to wed green and capitalist ideals including the oxymoron of the "free single market". As the Constitution demands economic and monetary union, does this mean that the government has to sign up to this and the Euro?