For 16 months, the European Convention, led by former French President and master draftsman Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, set about its work of drafting the European Union's first ever full-fledged constitution. With the convention's work completed, the draft must now be finalized by an Intergovernmental Conference of European leaders that is expected to complete deliberations by the end of the year.

However, quick ratification of the constitution is anything but certain – smaller EU members fear the it will centralize too much power with Brussels and larger members like Germany and France, and some medium sized countries, like Poland and Spain, have reservations about the constitution’s qualified majority voting method, which they say is "awkward."

Read DW-WORLD's full coverage of this historic document, the debate that has accompanied it and what the constitution will mean for the future of Europe. We have also provided copies of the draft for download as well as interviews and reports from DW-RADIO and DW-TV.