The Constitutional Treaty and the June Summit: what’s next?

On the eve of the European Council meeting on 21 and 22 June, the prevailing mood is ambivalent. The European crisis is very real and is growing as the divergent positions of the Member States become clearer. At the same time, there are signs of a revival, with the European Council committed to breaking the constitutional deadlock before the 2009 European elections. The combination of these two sentiments is not reassuring: the desire to reach agreement, combined with the diversity of views expressed in the capitals, can only lead to the lowest common denominator. However, the EU today can only find a way out by aiming high.