During the EU Summit in Brussels, December 13, a timetable for reviving the European Constitution was set out, with the hope of concluding negotiations by late 2008.
The 18 countries that have ratified the document agreed to attend a meeting in Madrid the end of January. This agreement has been considered as a move to isolate the EU countries which have not (yet) ratified the Constitution so far plus Franc and the Netherlands who rejected the Constitution in a referendum.
But the German EU Presidency (in office from 1 January 2007 on) has the intention to organise a meeting amongst the countries that have not yet ratified the end of February. These two meetings will enable the German Presidency to formulate a report on the evolution of the EU Constitution. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso publicly offered his support to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's drive to get the constitution talks back on track when her country takes over the presidency. "I believe we are going to make real progress during the next presidency," said Mr Barroso after the chancellor outlined her constitution plan of action over dinner with her colleagues.
In a speech to the European Parliament before she headed to the EU Summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel made it already clear that she will use the German Presidency to get the European Constitution talks back on track. “I would consider it an historical failure if we do not succeed in working out the substance of the constitutional treaty by the time the next European elections take place”.
Mr. Mattie Vanhanen, the Finnish Prime Minister said that the majority of member states are ready to keep “if not all, at least as much of the substance as possible” of the Constitution, following the current Finnish Presidency’s “confidential consultations” with the 25 on this matter. He said that member states agreed that "treaty reform is needed" and they "cannot throw out the entire text and start from scratch." He went on to say that most, but not all member states, would like "to retain at least as much of the substance as possible."
EU Communications Commissioner Margot Wallstrφm has warned the German Presidency that it needs to listen to citizen’s views on the EU Constitution saying, “It is important to make sure the renegotiation is not only about horse-trading behind closed doors”. However, she insisted that “We should stay as close as possible to the current text”.
