Coping with the Lilliput Syndrome: Large vs. Small Member States in the European Convention

Like all previous treaty reforms, the Convention on the Future of Europe ran into deep divisions between large and small states (that is, more or less populated states) when addressing institutional issues. This paper examines the causes of this cleavage and its impact on the process and outcome of the Convention. We argue that despite the consensus proclaimed at its closing, the Convention partly failed to find a stable solution to this fundamental conflict of interest. As a result, the politics of size are likely to play an increasingly determining role in the European Union.