Triple majority for changing the status quo in Treaty of Nice (2001): qualified majority of weighted votes, majority of countries, qualified majority of the population. Convention proposal (2003): requirements from three to two by dropping the qualified majority of weighted votes and reducing the qualified majority threshold of the population from 62% to 60%. Important consequences for the political institutions of the Union: 1) facilitates political decision-making; 2) reduces relative weight of governments participating in the Council and increases the importance of the European Parliament; 3) reduces the role of the judiciary and bureaucracies in the Union in favor of the political process. Consequences of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe signed in Rome 29 October 2004. Exactly in the middle between Nice and the European Convention.

The spring of 2005 saw major set-backs for the Treaty of Rome of 29 October 2004, establishing what it calls ‘a Constitution for Europe’. On 29 May, the French rejected the Treaty in their referendum by 54,8% (turnout 70%). Then the Dutch rejected it on 1 June by an even more massive 61,7% (turnout 63%). In response to these refusals the member states agreed to a ‘reflection period’ and a suspension of the ratification deadline at the European Council of 16 and 17 June. In the subsequent 10 July Luxembourg referendum 56,2% of the electorate voted in favour (obligatory vote), a significant drop from polls in October 2004, but at least creating a simple majority of 13 member states to ratify the document. But the UK put its ratification on hold, followed by other countries.