European Council of Brussels, 16-17/06/2005

The European Council brought together the Heads of State or Government of the EU. Despite the ratification of the European Constitution by 10 member states, the Council judged that the “no” in the French and Dutch referendums “expressed concerns and worries that must be taken into account”. As a result, it decided that a new period of reflection and explanation was necessary. An assessment of the ratification process should be drawn up in the first half of 2006. It was not possible to reach an agreement on the EU’s financial perspectives for the period 2007-2013. Some states, including France, insisted on reviewing the rebate granted to 3 countries for EU funding. Other states linked this discussion to a thorough revision of the European budgetary process, including a reduction in the burden of the CAP. The Luxembourg Presidency presented a compromise that was rejected by the British Government, which takes over the EU Presidency from July 1, 2005.