EU leaders meeting in Brussels have given themselves an effective deadline of the end of 2008 to find a way out of the impasse caused by the rejection of the new EU Constitution by voters in France and the Netherlands last year.
With a year's reflection period coming to a close, the Austrian presidency of the EU says reforms must continue to allow an enlarged Europe to function properly.
The delicate task facing EU leaders has been to reconcile those who think the EU Constitution is dead and those, particularly Germany, who want to preserve it as far as possible.
What will now officially replace the period of reflection is a twin track approach.
On the one hand, some 30 projects will be prioritised to try to show citizens that Europe can deliver.
These include things like lowering roaming charges for mobile phones, tackling youth unemployment and developing a common approach to energy.
Some might say this is window dressing since these projects were in the pipeline anyway and are not intrinsic to the constitution.
The second track is to continue working on how Europe can function efficiently and democratically with up to 27 and perhaps even 30 member states.
A report on the way forward will be produced in June next year under the German presidency.
