On November 23, the German Marshall Fund convened task force members in Washington, DC, to discuss the themes and goals of the EU Constitution project and to begin preparations for its Spring 2005 conference. Led by GMF Senior Transatlantic Fellow Ulrike Guerot, the group visualized the project as a platform for sustained transatlantic dialogue on strategic implications of the constitutional treaty, with the aim of increasing American awareness and understanding of this historic step in European integration. The group hopes that the conference and other related activities will help to resolve a central question in the American debate on the subject: will the EU Constitution help Europe to become a stronger, more coherent partner for the United States, or will it transform Europe into a counter weight to American power and influence abroad?

In outlining these aims, the task force identified key American concerns surrounding the constitutional treaty that the springtime conference will address. With Europe often divided on world affairs, the United States remains uneasy about whether the EU will be able to allocate sufficient resources and garner the political will to achieve common foreign and security/defense policies. Until a united front emerges in these arenas, how should the United States react to different views in Europe on foreign affairs and security/defense issues? Also of importance is the increasing anxiety in Washington that Europe’s constitution will weaken and undermine NATO as the framework for transatlantic cooperation. Questions about the economic implications of a constitutional Europe, including protectionist policies and regulatory issues affecting American businesses, were also highlighted.

The task force then considered European perspectives on these issues that it hopes will be elaborated in greater length at the conference. In answering American questions about the legitimacy of the EU policy system under a constitution, the Europeans must explain to their cross-Atlantic counterparts the role of the common foreign minister and the development of a common security and defense policy. In describing this concept of sovereignty pooling — not generally familiar to Americans — they should situate it within the history and vision of European integration. Additionally, the Europeans should articulate what differences they see between NATO military power and EU soft power in resolving major global problems. As they consider the evolving relevance of NATO today and the impact of the constitutional treaty on it, the Europeans can steer the debate to creatively think about how the U.S.–EU relationship can grow into an additional platform, or anchor, for transatlantic relations. Finally, possible outcomes of the national referenda on the EU Constitution will also be reviewed.

A tentative date of April has been set for the conference, which will take place in Washington. A preparatory meeting for European participants will be held in February in Berlin to further discuss the themes and challenges identified here.

Task force members Karen Volker of the U.S. State Department and Pawel Swieboda of the Polish Foreign Service were not present at this first meeting.