Brussels, 11/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - German Social Democrat MEP Jo Leinen, Chair of the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee, has published a press release slamming Jacques Chirac's suggestions, published on Tuesday, on the future of the European Constitution. Leinen said: “Chirac's idea only to include the institutional part of the Constitution in the existing treaties would fall far short of the comprehensive compromise which the Convention had found and which the intergovernmental conference had accepted. The values and aims of the European Union spelt out in the Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the increased possibilities for citizens' participation and the simplification of the Treaties should not be abandoned,” (see EUROPE 9106). Jo Leinen continued: “Jacques Chirac is one of the reasons for the failure of the Constitution referendum in France. It was therefore not clear why this new offensive of the French president should be able to achieve a new consensus among the 25 Member States.” Leinen said “the first step should be a comprehensive and profound debate about the future of the European Union during the recently started phase of reflection. The German Presidency of the first half of 2007 should then take the concrete decisions about bringing the process of ratification to a conclusion.”