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

Abstract

Like all former treaty reforms, the Convention ran into deep divisions between large and small states – read more or less populated states – when it discussed institutional issues. This paper examines the impact of this cleavage on the process and outcome of the Convention. First, we recall how the tension was managed under the founding model, and show how successive enlargements made it ever more acute. We then show that, under the Convention, the classic compromises proved impossible, so that new deals needed to be found. We conclude that, despite the consensus proclaimed at the end of the process, the Convention partly failed to settle this problem.