A strong presidency for a new kind of representative institution. The experience of the two Conventions of the European Union (1999-2003)

This essay examines the role played by former German President Roman Herzog and former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in chairing, respectively, the Convention that drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights in 1999-2000 and the Convention on the Future of Europe, which approved a draft European Constitution in July 2003. The composition of these two bodies was very heterogeneous, as they included representatives of national parliaments, national governments, the European Parliament and the European Commission. In this context, steering their work was a very difficult task: the role of the president and the praesidium was therefore crucial. The two leaders interpreted their role differently: Giscard's presidency was more assertive than Herzog's. The essay also analyses the structure of the praesidium and its internal dynamics for both Conventions.