Berlin declaration vaguely confirms 2009 EU treaty goal

The text, which was sent to all EU capitals on Thursday, says "we must always renew the political shape of Europe."

"That is why today, 50 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009. For we know, Europe is our common future," the text says.

The institutional passage can come only as a disappointment to proponents of the disputed EU constitution - such as the European Commission and the German EU presidency - who had hoped that the Berlin declaration would serve as a tool to boost the revival of the charter.

The Berlin declaration's language seems to be even vaguer than the conclusions adopted by EU leaders agreed last June, who agreed that the "necessary steps" in the "reform process" should be taken in "the second semester of 2008 at the latest."

The weak institutional passage appears to reflect the strong opposition by countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland and the UK against any deadline to accept a revised version of the EU constitution, with Prague in particular recently making strong noise against the charter.

On Sunday morning (25 March), the Berlin declaration will be presented by German chancellor Angela Merkel and signed by herself - representing all 27 member states - as well as the presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament. The declaration is two pages long.

Although the text was prepared behind closed doors by German diplomats, it speaks explicitly for the European citizens, saying "We, the citizens of the European Union, have united for the better."

It is specifically grateful to new member states' citizens, saying it is "thanks to the yearning for freedom of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe the unnatural division of Europe is now consigned to the past."

Meanwhile, "dignity" of the individual, "equal rights" between men and women, "peace," "freedom", "democracy", "tolerance" and "solidarity" are among the key EU values listed in the birthday declaration.

"Equal rights" for all member states who work in "democratic interaction" with EU institutions define the special characteristics of the EU, according to the text.

"Only together can we continue to preserve our ideal of European society in future for the good of all European Union citizens, This European model combines economic success and social responsibility," it goes on.

Here, the declaration also mentions the euro - an idea which was initially disliked by the UK which later dropped its opposition to the common currency.

"The common market and the euro make us strong," the text says, explaining the market and the currency enable the union to "shape" increasing economic interlinkage and international competition.

When turning to the EU's challenges, the document pledges that member states will fight terrorism and organised crime "together."

"We intend jointly to lead the way in energy policy and climate protection and make our contribution to averting the global threat of climate change," it adds.

Finally, on the thorny topic of further EU enlargement, the declaration says "The European Union will continue to thrive both on openness and on the will of its Member States to consolidate the Union's internal development."

The abstract paragraph is a compromise between pro-enlargement states such as the UK and enlargement-wary states like France and Luxembourg which first want to see institutional reform.

The passage is not completely straightforward in contrast to promises that there would be a "citizen-friendly" birthday text - but, in general, the declaration avoids most of the usual EU policy jargon and is more easy to read than the average European Commission press release.