Rounding off a highly innovative process of elaboration, the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights was officially proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council as planned at the Nice Summit, on 7 December 2000. According to the Cologne European Council of 3 and 4 June 1999, ‘it will then have to be considered whether and, if so, how the Charter should be integrated into the treaties’. Indeed, this is one of the points which, under the terms of Declaration 23 annexed to the Nice Treaty, will have to be considered during the ongoing process of institutional reform.