This article analyses the making of the European  Charter of Fundamental Rights as an example  of European treaty-making. Using a structural  constructivist approach, the article examines the  treaty negotiation process as both a long-term and  short-term process. In terms of a short-term process,  the analysis highlights the efforts made at  establishing a new framework of bargaining in the  form of a Convention. In respect to the charter in  the longue duree, the article emphasizes two preexisting  social and political structures: the already  existing field of human rights and the established  practices of EU treaty negotiation. The article  generally argues that these pre-existing structures  and practices had considerable impact on both the  proceedings and the outcomes.