After arduous negotiations between the European Union's member countries to draft a proposed constitution, the process looks likely to be derailed in the next week.
A referendum this Sunday in France - normally an ardent supporter of the EU - looks more likely than not to reject the proposed constitution. Opinion polls also suggest the Dutch will vote against the constitution in their referendum, three days later.
The constitution is intended to streamline EU decision-making after 10 new countries joined up last year. Without change, many thought it would be impossible for the EU's 25 members to agree on anything.
The constitution attempts to pull together the many agreements that govern the EU's operations into one single rulebook. The European Council - made up of each country's leader - will choose a president for a two-and-a-half-year term. This replaces the current system where each member country holds the presidency for six months, which can lead to disjointed policies.
Under the constitution, many decisions would be taken by a 'qualified majority', which is defined as 55 per cent of EU member countries representing at least 65 per cent of the EU's population.
The EU sets policies in five main areas for its members: competition rules within the EU-wide free trade area known as the single market; external trade; customs; fisheries; and interest rates for the countries using the euro currency.