27/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The new foreign minister of the Netherlands, Maxime Verhagen, has stressed his country's readiness to have a new treaty for the EU, but a treaty that is “clearly” different from the draft constitutional treaty rejected by the Dutch and the French. “It is obvious that it is necessary to make changes to the treaty, just as it is clear that the (current) Nice Treaty is not sufficient, especially regarding energy or the environment”, said Mr Verhagen on Monday after a meeting with his Belgian counterpart, Karel de Gucht, in Brussels. “There must be clarity on the additional powers that the EU needs, but also on those that it should renounce”, he said. Both ministers also spoke of the next re-negotiation of the treaty in Brussels. A draft text should be put forward by April, said Mr de Gucht. Both ministers also stated their willingness to ensure greater coordination between the three Benelux countries in the context of European policy. (hb)