Work of the IGC 2003/2004

On completion of the work of the Convention, a "Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe" was presented to the Italian Presidency in July 2003. The Italian Presidency's task was to bring the negotiations within the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to a close so that a final version of the Constitution could be adopted.

The IGC officially started its work on 4 October 2003 and confined itself to the most important questions, with the result that it did not have to renegotiate the entire text produced by the Convention.
As it was impossible to achieve an overall agreement on the Constitution at the European Council in December 2003, the negotiations were continued under the Irish Presidency.
The political agreement, which was finally reached on 18 June 2004 has made it possible for the first Constitution for Europe to come into being.
The work of the IGC was finally completed when the Constitution was signed in Rome on 29 October 2004.

The factsheets describing the work of the Intergovernmental Conference 2003/2004 set out to summarise the progress of the negotiations and the main changes to the text of the European Convention.
Their sole purpose is to inform members of the public.

Each factsheet gives access to the official documents adopted during the IGC. Links are also provided to the guide to the Treaty of Nice, where appropriate, and to the results of the Convention.

For more information, please visit the website of the Treaty of Lisbon .

These factsheets are not legally binding on the European Commission and do not claim to be exhaustive.