2007년 6월 21일~22일 브뤼셀 유럽이사회는 ‘개혁조약’을 마련하겠다는 결론을 내림으로써 유럽헌법의 부활을 둘러싼 오랜 논쟁을 마무리했다. 동 이사회는 개혁조약의 작업 일정을 수립하고, 그 작업을 정부간회의에 위임했다. 이에 따라 IGC는 ‘가능한 빨리(as quickly as possible)’, 여하한 경우라 할지라도 2007년 말 이전에 작업을 완료해야 한다. 왜냐하면 이 개정조약은 2009년 6월에 행해질 유럽의회 의원 선거 이전에 발효되어야 하므로 비준에 필요한 충분한 시간이 필요하기 때문이다.그리고 유럽이사회가 IGC에게 위임한 기본적 작업은 크게 네 가지 부분, 즉 ① TEU의 개정(Amendments to the EU Treaty) ② EC조약의 개정(Amendments to the EC Treaty) ③ 의정서와 Euratom조약(Protocols and the Euratom Treaty) ④ 선언(Declarations)으로 나누어 작업을 진행하게 된다. IGC의 작업의 결과 마련될 개혁조약은 ‘헌법적 성격’을 가질 수 없다. 즉, 브뤼셀 유럽이사회는 IGC에게 ‘헌법전’의 제정이 아니라 기존 제 조약의 개정을 위임하였을 뿐이다. 결국 IGC는 “개혁조약은 헌법적 성격을 가질 수 없다”는 대전제 하에서 작업을 진행해야 하고, 그에 따라, 2004년 채택된 유럽‘헌법’조약에 의해 도입된 많은 개념과 제도적 장치들도 포기되거나 개정되어야 한다.

On 21 and 22 June 2007, the Brussels European Council finished off the controversy through revival of the European Constitution coming to the conclusion that he will prepare a Draft on the Reform Treaty. This Council established the time table for the Reform Treaty, and delegated its work to the Intergovernmental Conference(IGC). According to these delegations, the IGC has to accomplish its work as quickly as possible, and in any case of before the end of 2007, so as to allow for sufficient time to ratify Treaty before the European Parliament election in June 2009. And fundamental works which were delegated to the IGC will be processed by the four main part; ① Amendments to the EU Treaty ② Amendments to the EC Treaty ③ Protocols and the Euratom Treaty ④ Declarations. The different point with the former European Constitutional Treaty is that the Reform Treaty must not have ‘any constitutional characteristics’; that is, the Brussels European Council delegates rather amendments to the existing Treaties than enactment a Charter of Constitution. In result, the IGC is obliged to get down to work under the condition that the Reform Treaty has not any constitutional characteristics, and then a lot of the constitutional notion and institutional mechanism introduced by the former European Constitutional Treaty will be abandoned and amended.

On 21 and 22 June 2007, the Brussels European Council finished off the controversy through revival of the European Constitution coming to the conclusion that he will prepare a Draft on the Reform Treaty. This Council established the time table for the Reform Treaty, and delegated its work to the Intergovernmental Conference(IGC). According to these delegations, the IGC has to accomplish its work as quickly as possible, and in any case of before the end of 2007, so as to allow for sufficient time to ratify Treaty before the European Parliament election in June 2009. And fundamental works which were delegated to the IGC will be processed by the four main part; ① Amendments to the EU Treaty ② Amendments to the EC Treaty ③ Protocols and the Euratom Treaty ④ Declarations. The different point with the former European Constitutional Treaty is that the Reform Treaty must not have ‘any constitutional characteristics’; that is, the Brussels European Council delegates rather amendments to the existing Treaties than enactment a Charter of Constitution. In result, the IGC is obliged to get down to work under the condition that the Reform Treaty has not any constitutional characteristics, and then a lot of the constitutional notion and institutional mechanism introduced by the former European Constitutional Treaty will be abandoned and amended.

European Constitutional Treaty, Reform Treaty, European Council, Intergovernmental Conference, Legal Personality