EU: Economic crisis management II

We turn to the European Convention, the closest thing to a constituent assembly EU citizens have had since the 1950s and 1980s. The proposed Article corresponding to Article 100 TEC is located in Part III ‘The policies and functioning of the Union’, Title III ‘Internal policies and action’, Chapter II ‘Economic and monetary policy’, Section 1 ‘Economic policy’.

Article III-72 of the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, OJ 18.7.2003 C 169/40:

Article III-72 Draft Constitution

1. Without prejudice to any other procedures provided for by the Constitution, the Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the Commission, may adopt a European decision laying down the measures appropriate to the economic situation, in particular if severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products.

2. Where a Member State is in difficulties or is seriously threatened with severe difficulties caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences beyond its control, the Council of Ministers, on a proposal from the Commission, may adopt a European decision granting, under certain conditions, Union financial assistance to the Member State concerned. The President of the Council of Ministers shall inform the European Parliament of the decision adopted.

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The draft Constitution followed the current TEC text closely, with the customary terminological differences and a few stylistic changes.

The government of Sweden ─ a country outside the Eurozone ─ presented its views on the draft Constitution in ‘Europeiska konventet om EU:s framtid’ (Utrikesdepartementet, Departementsserien (Ds) 2003:58, 2003), but I found no comment regarding the essentially unchanged Article III-72.


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Ahead of the intergovernmental conference (IGC 2003─2004), the government of Sweden stated its positions on economic policy provisions, in ‘Europeiska konventet om EU:s framtid’ (Regeringens skrivelse 2003/04:13, den 2 oktober 2003), on pages 49─50, but there was no comment on Article III-72.

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Étienne de Poncins presented the proposed text of Article III-72 of the draft Constitution in ‘Vers une Constitution européenne’ (Éditions 10/18, 2003), page 294─295, without comment.

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In the following instalment we look at the corresponding text on severe economic difficulties in the Constitutional Treaty.


Ralf Grahn