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29th Mar 2024

Merkel tables outline for citizen-friendly EU birthday text

  • The EU's birthday text should be written in simple language and avoid jargon, leaders agreed (Photo: European Community)

Enlargement has emerged as a topic of controversy surrounding the EU's 50th anniversary declaration, with German chancellor Angela Merkel proposing a five-chapter citizen-friendly text which is likely to contain a vague reference to a new EU treaty.

EU leaders during a dinner on Thursday evening (8 March) each had their say about the two-to three page declaration which they all need to sign on 25 March, during festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

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The dinner saw a wide range of ideas proposed by the 27 EU leaders - reflecting different visions on European integration - but there was broad endorsement of the basic structure of the declaration proposed by Ms Merkel who currently chairs the EU.

The German chancellor proposed a text consisting of five parts: the EU's history; its values; its particular characteristics; its challenges; and its commitments. She also proposed that the document should avoid the usual EU policy jargon.

"There was complete agreement the declaration should be addressed to the citizens of Europe and as such should be understandable, it should not use the traditional language of the European Union and should not use technical terms," Ms Merkel told journalists after the dinner.

But before the circulation of the first draft of the declaration - possibly next week - Berlin will have to find wording to please everyone particularly on the sensitive issue of future EU enlargement.

There is consensus that "recent enlargements have recognised the triumph of democracy over dictatorship," Ms Merkel said - but she added that "different member states have different views about the relationship between European integration and future enlargement."

The discussion constitutes a revival of last autumn's fundamental debate on enlargement between EU capitals, which saw a deep rift between pro-enlargement states like the UK and central European countries on the one hand and enlargement-wary states such as France and Luxembourg.

"The one sentence I would include in the Berlin declaration would deal with further enlargment and would be something like: EU membership proves to be beneficial to anyone who joins the bloc," Slovakia's prime minister Robert Fico said.

French diplomats said however that if any reference is made to future enlargement, this should add conditions like support from EU public opinion.

Thursday's dinner also saw a discussion on the the EU's so-called community method - referring to the strong role of common institutions like the European Commission and the European Parliament in EU politics.

Italian prime minister Romano Prodi reportedly made a strong plea for the community method to be included in the "characteristics" chapter in the declaration - but most leaders agreed the term would have to be re-phrased in a citizen-friendly way

"You can't use the phrase 'community method' - there are linguistic challenges there," said Ms Merkel.

Meanwhile, the last part of the declaration - on "commitments" - is set to include a reference to the need for a new EU treaty.

Contrary to what German diplomats had originally envisaged, the text will however not mentioning deadlines for re-negotiating the EU constitution which was rejected by France and the Netherlands, nor will it refer to words like "constitution" or "constitutional."

"There is a consensus that we need to highlight the need for institutional reform but the declaration should not do what the June summit [on the EU constitution] is supposed to do," said one EU diplomat.

Polish president Lech Kaczynski said the Berlin declaration and the June constitution summit are "separate things," but added "Poland would accept that the declaration [mentions] the necessity of institutional changes to make the European institutions more efficient."

Meanwhile, Mr Kaczynski admitted he found little support for his plea to include Europe's Christian heritage in the Berlin declaration, saying he was the "only head of state raising Christian values"

"You cannot imagine that all 27 heads of state have exactly the same opinion on this issue", he stated, referring especially to "our French friends."

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