Brussels, 26/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - In the “Berlin Declaration” (see attached draft), which the presidents of the three institutions - Council, Commission and European Parliament - signed on Sunday for the 50th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, signatories set themselves the task of reforming the European Union and getting a new treaty to enter into force before the European elections in June 2009. This goal is expressed in much vaguer terms in the last part of the declaration where the three institutions make a commitment, “we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in June 2009”. The lack of precision in the text also led the president of the European Parliament to emphasise to the press that the 2009 deadline must be included as soon as the new reforms are applied, following completion of the ratification process for the future Treaty, which will, “perhaps have another name” to that of the Constitutional Treaty.
Hans-Gert Pöttering's call was not without grounds, as several European leaders immediately challenged the value of the Berlin Declaration (a political declaration that is not legally binding and which, above all, they have not individually signed). The Polish president, Lech Kazcynski therefore thought the 2009 deadline “unrealistic” and expressed a preference for entry into force of a new treaty in 2011. One is aware that Poland wanted to reopen negotiations on the Council voting mechanism to amend the “double majority” system included in the current Constitutional Treaty (signed by Poland) but which Warsaw now opposes. In this connection, Chancellor Angela Merkel speaking in Berlin on Sunday, would only point out that double majority was part of a “difficultly negotiated” compromise and it would be hard to get it back on the table. The president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, also expressed doubts about the chances of reaching a consensus on the substance of the new treaty by 2009, which he does not regard as a “tragedy”. Addressing the press, Klaus insisted on the fact that the calendar should not overshadow the debate on the contents. Czech vice prime minister, Alexander Vondra, said that an agreement on the treaty should be found in 2008 or after the European elections in 2009; “there is no other choice”.
The German presidency, supported by a large majority of member states, as well as the EP and Commission, is more ambitious. During the final press conference, Angela Merkel said that the brief debate between heads of state and government at lunch on Sunday about the constitutional problem, demonstrated that there was a “desire to reach decisions in June” at the European Council. However, Merkel did say that “the June European Council will not be able to solve the institutional problem but we will try and not leave the Portuguese presidency with insurmountable problems”. She said that with this in mind, the roadmap expected from the June summit, “could” lead to a “short and concentrated” Inter-governmental Conference (IGC) that was still under the Portuguese presidency, but that rapidly obtaining an agreement on the final text was obviously “desirable”, if possible still in 2007.
The European Commission also wants the institutional issue to be resolved as soon as possible, explained Commission president, José Manuel Barroso. He informed the press that the conditions for achieving this were “better after the Berlin Declaration than before”.
Angela Merkel also confirmed that the consultation method in small circles, which the German presidency used to prepare the Berlin Declaration, would be applied for preparations for the June European Council on the Constitution. The chancellor told the press that “we will not be negotiating in the public square” but mainly via bilateral channels and sherpas, which “has been successful”. Czech President Vaclav Klaus severely criticised the “lack of democratic debate” on the Berlin Declaration. Merkel refuted this criticism in front of the press and explained that the consultation method in small circles also allowed the Czech Republic to better defend its national interests than if this debate had been held in public all the time.
The chancellor was also asked about recent criticism made by Pope Benedict XVI over the absence of a reference to Christian roots in the draft Constitutional Treaty. She said that on a personal level she would have liked such a reference, “but I am realistic, in other words not very optimistic about the opportunity of amending the current draft treaty on the subject”. (hb)