The following are the key changes to EU institutions which the chairman of the Convention, the former French president, Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, will propose to EU leaders at a summit in Thessaloniki, Greece, at the end of next week.
The European Council, grouping national leaders, would elect a president or chairman for up to five years to prepare summits and plot the EU's broader agenda, replacing the existing six-month rotation of the presidency among member-states.
p Full membership of the executive European Commission would be capped at 15, selected according to a principle of strict rotation to ensure the equality of all states. The Commission president, elected by the European Parliament on a proposal from the European Council, could appoint up to 15 associate commissioners without voting rights.
p A new EU foreign minister would conduct the bloc's common foreign and defence policy, sitting in the Commission with access to its resources but answerable to member-states.
p Decision-making on most issues would be by majority vote, with a greater role also for the European Parliament. But member-states would retain their right of national veto in politically sensitive areas such as taxation and foreign policy.
p The voting system proposed would mean decisions pass if backed by at least half of the member-states, representing at least 60 per cent of the EU's total population.
p A solidarity clause would require member-states to provide mutual assistance in case of terrorist attack. It would also allow those states that wished to, to subscribe to a mutual defence clause, despite British reservations.
p Members of the single currency would be able to set and police their own economic policy guidelines and enforce budget deficit limits without non-euro states' involvement.
p The Commission would be empowered to issue warnings to eurozone countries whose deficit was approaching the EU limit without having to seek ministers' agreement.
p At least one million EU citizens across several member-states could require the Commission to submit a proposal on matters on which they believe the Union should act.
p The EU would have a "legal personality", allowing it to sign international treaties.
p Member-states may create, by unanimous decision, a European public prosecutor to combat cross-border crime and terrorism.
p Any member state would have the right to quit the EU of its own free will after giving notification of its intention. - (Reuters)
The full text of the Convention draft may be read on The Irish Times website, ireland.com, and on the Convention website, http://european-convention.eu.int/