Merkel to present plan to save EU constitution
LISBETH KIRK
19.12.2005 @ 09:36 CET
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, will propose to attach a declaration on the "social dimension of Europe" to the failed EU constitution, in a bid to save the charter.
According to German daily Handelsblatt the non-binding declaration should call upon the EU institutions to better consider the social implications of EU internal market legislation. But the text of the constitution should remain unchanged, according to sources in the European Peoples Party.
Germany takes over the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2007 (Photo: CDU)
The declaration should help reassure French and Dutch voters, who rejected the treaty in referendums last spring, largely in protest against globalisation, enlargement and liberalisation of the service markets.
Germany takes over the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2007 and could play a key-role in reviving the constitution, Elmar Brok, a prominent member of Ms Merkel’s CDU party in the European Parliament pointed out.
"It will be the main task for the German EU presidency", he said.
In May 2007 France is to hold presidential elections while the Netherlands will hold parliamentary elections.
"Following these terms, it falls into the hand of Germany, to save the constitution", Mr Brok said.