Schröder clears path for EU Constitution

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has cleared the path of final obstacles to parliamentary ratification of the EU Constitution by agreeing to give Germany's regions more say on the EU.

The chancellor met representatives from the country's 'Länder' after some had threatened to vote against the Constitution on 27 May - when the upper house is due to vote.

He promised the representatives from four regions that their competences at the EU level would be widened and that the upper hou...