German Chancellor Angela Merkel made things very clear when she addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg last Wednesday.
In what has been described as the launch of a very ambitious programme for the German EU presidency, which started on 1 January and will last till 30 June, Merkel said that the EU must set a timetable for adopting the European Constitution, apart from revive talks on a global deal on trade.
Her speech revived expectations that an agreement on the European charter, whose fate was stalled two years ago, could be found and that negotiations on a new partnership agreement with Russia, aimed at securing reliable oil and gas supplies, could be reached.
“The reflection pause is over. By June, we must reach a decision on what to do with the Constitution,” Merkel told MEPs. “It is in the interests of Europe to end this process successfully by the next European elections in 2009.”
The European Constitution has been ratified by 18 EU member states, but its progress came to an abrupt halt when the French and the Dutch people voted against its ratification within days of each other. Since then, although the charter was ratified by more countries, including Malta, the Constitution has been put on the back burner.
Since the French and Dutch “no”, the EU has grown bigger, with the inclusion of Bulgaria and Romania as new members on 1 January this year. And Merkel said that she will be consulting with all the member states to hear what they have to say about the treaty and how it could be revived, if this is at all possible.
Germany would like to save as much as possible from the charter as it was drawn up a few years back. The Constitution had been designed to accelerate policy-making and give the EU more visibility on the world stage by creating the posts of EU president and EU foreign minister.
Merkel was forceful in her thoughts in Strasbourg: “We need a foreign minister for Europe. That’s enough of a reason to adopt a constitutional treaty… We must give a soul to Europe; we have to find Europe’s soul. Any failure could be a historic failure.”
Other EU presidencies have sought to revive the EU Constitution over the past, with little success. Whether Merkel will be able to achieve more than her recent predecessors remains to be seen, and observers have already indicated that Merkel’s attempts will not reach their goal.
Britain is still rather sceptical on the issue, and a recent poll there indicated that a referendum will end in a “no” vote. There are then fears that a second referendum in France would once again result in a negative vote, while referenda could also be lost in Denmark and the Czech Republic if they are held.
On the brighter side, a recent survey in The Netherlands showed that the Dutch might have had a change of heart, but whether the Dutch will actually say yes if and when a second referendum is held is another matter.
There were mixed reactions to what Merkel proposed, with those willing to give the EU Constitution another chance taking the opportunity of the German Chancellor’s address to push forward their idea that the treaty should not be discarded. Detractors however insisted that the Constitution is dead and buried and any attempts for its revival are simply a waste of time.
It seems therefore that Merkel has an uphill struggle ahead of her. With France facing a presidential election later on this year and with British Prime Minister Tony Blair about to step down, matters get even more complicated.
The best prospect seems that the Constitution is scaled down to a mini-treaty. But even this could take time.