First E.U. constitution

last updated 8 January 2015

Brussels

European leaders agreed this week on the European Union’s first constitution. For decades, the ever expanding union has operated under a hodgepodge of treaties and agreements, and the new constitution is meant to provide a single legal framework. The document lays out the rules for how many votes each country, from tiny Estonia to giant Germany, gets to cast in making E.U. decisions—a contentious issue that required years of negotiation. But the document won’t go into force until it’s been approved by all 25 member countries. Anti-E.U. sentiment is strong across the continent, particularly in Britain and Denmark, and if even one country votes no, the whole process will have to start over again. Diplomats insisted that wouldn’t happen. “If we can agree on it,” said Pat Cox, president of the European Parliament, “we can sell it.”