The agreement reached last night in Brussels on a constitutional treaty for the European Union is a major achievement for its leaders and for the Irish EU presidency which steered it to completion over the last six months.
The document sets out fundamental values and objectives for the EU as it enlarges on a continental scale and defines how it is to be governed along with its member-states. It is an historic and unprecedented foundational text for this new political entity on the world stage.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, his Ministers and officials must be congratulated for the intense and focused work which has brought it to a conclusion. Ireland's international reputation as a reliable, professional and talented player on the international scene will be strongly bolstered as a result of this effort.
So much work was required to complete the treaty at this Brussels summit that there was neither the time nor opportunity to select a president of the incoming European Commission as well. None of the frontline candidates proved acceptable to the political leaders. They had not made sufficient preparations for the consequences of that failure when secondary names emerged for consideration yesterday after rancorous exchanges, notably between France and Britain about the merits and policies of the nominated individuals. Sensibly, they have agreed to reconvene in two weeks time to consider the matter afresh. Mr Ahern, if he is indeed not a candidate for the job himself, should be prepared to back Mr Pat Cox as a suitable Irish person for it, or for membership of the Commission, after his successful term as president of the European Parliament. That would optimise Ireland's influence at the centre of the EU system over the next five years.
The treaty is - necessarily - a complex document, which nonetheless clarifies, simplifies and adds to the much more complicated amalgam of treaties on which the EU's competences have been legally based. It was inspired by a growing political realisation through the 1990s that unless this legal framework was more clearly explained to citizens the EU's legitimacy would be undermined as it took on more governing powers. That is the constitutional inspiration behind the document. Those who deny the relevance of constitutional law and norms to this new transnational entity fail to comprehend the nature of contemporary politics in Europe. They have gone beyond national borders and powers, not replaced them. This document is a resourceful response to these developments. It is an honourable compromise between contrasting views of voting, representation and economic governance, based on intense consultation and a shrewd judgment about what would be acceptable to Ireland's EU partners. It deserves the most careful attention of EU citizens as they decide whether to ratify it over the next two years.