Any extension of the constitutional negotiations beyond those dates would raise two serious problems of legitimacy and democratic transparency: on the one hand, it would mean a gradual dissipation of the constituent foundations built up by the Convention, and, on the other, it would mean asking the European voters to elect their Parliament without knowing the constitutional shape of the future Union.
Prolonger les négociations constitutionnelles au-delà de ces dates poserait de graves problèmes de légitimité et de transparence démocratique. En effet, d'une part, l'on verrait le patrimoine constituant de la Convention se dissiper progressivement et, d'autre part, l'on demanderait aux citoyens européens de voter aux élections du Parlement européen sans connaître les traits constitutionnels de la future Union.