Constitution of the EU

At present, the EU is founded on four basic treaties that lay down the rules by which it has to operate. These treaties are big and complex, and EU leaders would like to replace them with a single, shorter, simpler document spelling out the EU's purposes and aims and stating clearly who does what. This new document (technically known as the "constitutional Treaty") will be rather similar to the constitution of a country - even though the EU is not, and does not aim to be, a single country. A proposal for this EU Constitution was drawn up in 2003 by the Convention on the future of Europe, but the text has yet to be agreed by EU leaders.