The Treaty of Nice, the presumed end of

The current debate regarding the future of the European Union (EU) is underpinned by three fundamental assumptions. First, the time has now come, the argument goes, for the EU to define its ‘final’ institutional configuration. Second, this endeavour must not – indeed, cannot – be based on the logic of incrementalism that, by and large, has shaped the development of the European Communities/Union since the 1950s. Third, this endeavour must include the drafting of a ‘proper’ constitution on the basis of a federal logic. This paper takes issue with the first two assumptions and attempts to reconcile their antithesis with the third assumption. In essence, we argue that the politically motivated need to outline the institutional future of the EU cannot and must not ignore the incremental logic that has informed the development of the EC/EU since its inception. Rather, we argue that the Union – as well as the élites that operate therein – must develop a more sophisticated manner to utilise the incremental approach. After a short critical assessment of the Treaty of Nice, the paper (a) provides a brief outline of the origins and the utility of incrementalism and (b) identifies the Common Foreign and Security Policy as the policy area where the new sophisticated use of incrementalism can be tested.