Europe's 50th birthday bash set to reopen old wounds

Europe's 50th birthday bash set to reopen old wounds
By Stephen Castle in Berlin
Published: 25 March 2007
Independent UK

Europe's future divided its leaders on the 50th birthday of the 27-nation bloc as they prepared to discuss whether to seek a deal to revive parts of the European Constitution by Christmas. The constitution has been in limbo since it was rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands.

The issue is one of only two subjects due to be debated at a lunch today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community, forerunner of the EU.

The agenda calls for "exchanges on the future of procedural questions concerning the constitution". That is code for whether to open a formal process involving EU leaders.

Today's ceremony will be chaired by Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, which holds the EU's rotating presidency. She is thought to favour a quick fix which, ideally, would start the Inter-governmental Conference (IGC) in June and conclude a deal on the successor to the constitution by Christmas.

She has persuaded all EU countries to sign up to a declaration that commits them to placing the EU "on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009". Under this blueprint, the ratification of whatever is agreed would take place in 2008 so that the settlement could be in force by 2009.

Germany hopes the idea of a quick fix might appeal to the UK because it would be well ahead of the next general election. But Britain may be cautious because of fears that a settlement will require a referendum.

The Czech Republic remains more Eurosceptic still. Germany and Italy want to preserve much of the substance of the original text, while the Dutch insist a new treaty "must... convincingly differ".