Merkel urges EU leaders to resolve divisions

Merkel urges EU leaders to resolve divisions

Merkel, the summit host, urged agreement, saying Europe needs guidelines laying out how to govern the European Union so that Europe can deal with the challenges of such pressing issues as climate change, energy supplies and globalization.

"The European public now expects us to put the necessary reforms of the union in hand," Merkel said in a letter to leaders. "The time has now come to set out the roadmap for the impending reform of the treaties."

However, the task will be far from easy as indicated by a pre-summit wave of nasty and personal attacks between leaders, and threats of vetoes on decisions that need unanimous backing.

On Tuesday, Merkel presented her counterparts with an 11-page shopping list of issues she wants included in negotiations on a new treaty—a list EU leaders will have to agree to over the next two days before full-blown technical negotiations on replacing the dead constitution can begin.

Germany and many other states want to salvage as much as they can from the derailed constitution already approved by 18 member nations. They argue that the sensitive compromises within it—which took over three years of negotiation—is the only way forward.

But opponents argue that Germany's 11-page plan is a ploy to push ahead with the charter in defiance of the Netherlands and France, where voters firmly rejected the constitution in referendums in 2005.

Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the rest of the EU was "in denial" over the rejection of the constitution, saying the bloc cannot adopt a new treaty that is similar to the moribund charter.

Merkel's so-called 11-page draft mandate recommends that the touchiest lightning rods of criticism of the draft constitution are removed as part of its overhaul, stripping the text of any reference to symbols—including the EU's blue-and-gold, star-spangled flag; its Beethoven anthem, and the motto "United in Diversity," which many felt hinted at the creation of a European superstate.

Crucially, she also proposed dropping the title "constitution" and calling it a the "Treaty on the Functioning of the Union" instead. Berlin wants EU nations to finalize the treaty in the months ahead.

The proposal recommends giving national parliaments more say in drafting EU laws, a key Dutch demand, but recommends that the EU retain essential elements of the aborted constitution, notably on decision-making and areas where the EU wants more powers.

Poland and Britain have led boisterous criticism of Germany's insistence on keeping key parts of the rejected constitution, with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski saying Germany's moves are "hurting Europe, hurting Poland."

Poland has demanded a redrafting of new voting roles to give Warsaw more power, and Polish media reported Wednesday that Warsaw had renewed its demand that the new treaty include a reference to Europe's Christian heritage—something Merkel is keen not to include.

Britain, meanwhile, opposes greater EU powers over policing and foreign policy and does not support making a new EU human rights charter legally binding, a move that London fears could hurt its control over domestic laws, like labor rights.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has warned the two countries against keeping up threats to block or veto a deal this week on drafting a new treaty.

"The mechanisms of solidarity will naturally be weakened because there will be the shadow of failure, the shadow of some mistrust between the governments involved," he said.

All 27 nations, however, agree that the European Union must move quickly to adopt a new rulebook to streamline the complex decision-making system crafted years ago when it was a union of 15.

Many back French President Nicolas Sarkozy's call for the rapid adoption of a "mini-treaty" to ensure the EU can move quickly to address pressing issues.