German Chancellor Angela Merkel used a trip to Poland on Friday to call for fresh efforts to agree a new constitution for the 27-nation European Union. Merkel, hoping to forge closer personal ties with Polish President Lech Kaczynski during a two-day visit to Germany's eastern neighbour, told students at Warsaw University the bloc needed a new constitution before 2009.
"It is not only in Europe's interests, but also that of its member states and its citizens that the process leads to a positive result by the next European parliamentary elections in 2009," she said. As EU president, Merkel has vowed to forge consensus on a new treaty over the coming months and present a "road map" for ratification at a Brussels summit in June to streamline decision-making in the enlarged bloc.
"The EU must ensure that its institutions function in an efficient, democratic and understandable manner for 27 or more countries," Merkel said. "Because of this, Europe needs the new rules that are contained in the EU constitutional treaty." President Kazcynski and his identical twin, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, have deep reservations about a revival of the treaty that French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005.
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