Brussels, 07/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - During the Franco-German consultations in Rheinsberg on Tuesday (see EUROPE 9205), German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac agreed a rough timetable for the relaunch of the Constitutional Treaty, stating that an agreement is expected to be reached in the “eighteen months” between the end of the German presidency of the EU on 20 June 2007 and that of France on 31 December 2008. Then, “we will have come to some decisions,” insisted Ms Merkel. She confirmed that the draft Constitution “will return to the agenda during the German Presidency, after a pause for reflection”. Jacques Chirac said he had every confidence the German Presidency would set things moving in the right direction. The German Presidency will be responsible for gathering proposals on the institutions and drawing up a “synthesis”, said Mr Chirac, adding that, in the meantime, “France intends to improve the working of the (European) institutions in relation to existing treaties”. Germany, however, remained reticent on a French idea to reform the European institutions on the basis of the existing treaties, fearing that a partial implementation of the Constitutional text now may destroy any chance of having it approved in its entirety at a later date. “France has suggested it and Germany is considering it,” was Mr Chirac's summary for the press. Both Ms Merkel and Mr Chirac refuted the idea that Europe was not working, quoting the agreements on the 2007-2013 budget (which allow particularly the funding of EU enlargement), the services directive and the development of a European energy policy.