EUROPEAN CONVENTION: CONFUSION ON THE EVE OF THE FINAL PHASE OF WORK.

The Convention Presidium agreed on May 28 to draft the preamble to the future constitution. The Presidium members have got to grips with the tricky issue of making a reference to religion. This they have settled by using a convoluted turn of phrase that speaks of drawing inspiration from Europe's cultural, religious and humanist traditions, which, first of all spawned by the Greek and Roman civilisations, characterised by the spiritual impulse it has known and is still part of its heritage, then by the philosophical movements of the Enlightenment, has invested its social life with the perception of the central role of human beings, their inviolable and inalienable rights and respect for the law. It was also agreed that the Convention President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, and the two Vice-Presidents, Giuliano Amato and Jean-Luc Dehaene, should hold consultations with the various components on June 5 and with the political coordinators.

The Praesidium has drawn up a complete draft Constitution which was to be presented to Convention members on May 27. The project consists of four parts: fundamental provisions (I), the Charter of Fundamental Rights (II), policies and the implementation of Union actions (III), general and final provisions (IV). The Praesidium should finalise the draft preamble at its meeting on May 28. Deeply divided, the Praesidium has failed to amend its initial proposals on Title IV (EU Institutions - see European Report 2779 for further details). Given that these proposals were challenged in plenary session (see European Report 2776 for further details), the Praesidium sees no purpose in staging a further debate among Convention members on a text that remains unchanged. Other aspects of Part I of the Treaty have on the contrary been significantly modified by the Praesidium. As indicated in the previous issue of European Report, the new version of article 1 of Title I (Definitions and objectives of the EU) removes the word "federal" in accordance with the wishes of the UK Government (see European Report 2763 for further details). Title III on competences, another highly controversial issue in the UK has also seen a number of concessions to London (see European Report 2755 and 2757 for further details). Among the general principles outlining the EU's competences and governing their application, the principle of attribution has been redrafted with competences now no longer being "attributed by the Constitution" but "attributed...