Germany pushes fast-track strategy for EU constitution
Pastor Dale Morgan
Germany pushes fast-track strategy for EU constitution*
· Document rejected by voters in 2005 cut by 80%
· Aim to have new charter in place by next February
Ian Traynor and David Gow in Brussels
Friday March 9, 2007
The Guardian
Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, launched a fast-track campaign last
night to get a slimmed-down European constitution agreed by EU
governments within a year without recourse to national referendums.
According to officials in Brussels and ministers in eastern and western
Europe, the German leader plans to have the charter wrapped up by February.
To avoid controversy and division and to try to avoid national
referendums, the blueprint reshaping how Europe is run would no longer
be called a constitution. While retaining the key points, it would also
be a fraction of the size of the document agreed by EU governments in
2004 but then rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in
2005. Ms Merkel aims to set up a conference of government officials from
all 27 members countries in June to thrash out the details by the end of
the year.
The chancellor used her first European summit as EU president last night
to sound out other leaders on the wording of a declaration to be issued
later this month to mark the EU's 50th birthday. She is seeking to use
the so-called Berlin Declaration, to be signed by European leaders on
March 25, as a springboard for reviving the moribund European constitution.
The aim is to set up a rolling conference of EU governments in June to
draft a charter by December which will be endorsed by all 27 governments
by February 2008, according to senior sources in European capitals.
But Berlin still has to persuade the doubters, most notably Britain
which was delighted to see the constitution stalled by French and Dutch
voters. The German timetable will also present Gordon Brown with a
headache if it coincides with his accession, although the Blair
government has already agreed to the key changes in the way the EU is
organised. These are: a single fixed-term EU presidency ending the
current system of six-month rotation among 27 countries; a single
European "foreign minister" representing a common EU line in
international affairs although the post will probably no longer be
entitled "foreign minister"; and a system of double majority voting in
EU councils which erodes national vetoes and which, for the first time,
recognises Germany's position as the biggest and most powerful EU
country. These were the central changes agreed in 2004 and derailed in
2005 and are likely to survive in the new "simplified" version being
negotiated.
West European sources familiar with the negotiations believe Mr Blair
could strike a deal in June. A European foreign minister said Mr Brown
had "a great interest in finding a solution very quickly, so it could be
forgotten before any general election in 2009".
Following the Berlin summit beginning on March 25 Ms Merkel hopes to end
her EU presidency at another summit in June by establishing a so-called
inter-governmental conference to thrash out the details. To make the
project more palatable to sceptics such as Britain, Poland, and the
Czech Republic and also, crucially, to try to avoid any need for popular
referendums on the blueprint, the charter will no longer be called a
constitution, but a "treaty" or "simplified treaty", according to sources.
Ms Merkel has reached a deal with the next two EU presidents, Portugal
and Slovenia, to promote the project. "The big problem at the June
summit will be agreeing the mandate for the IGC," said a senior
government minister from central Europe. "If there is agreement, it will
be a big success for Merkel."
A series of coincidences are conspiring to strengthen her hand. The
gathering in Berlin will be Jacques Chirac's last EU summit. The crucial
June session will be Mr Blair's last European summit.