EU LEADERS STRUGGLE ON DECLARATION FOR 50TH

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000895 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EUN SUBJECT: EU LEADERS STRUGGLE ON DECLARATION FOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY, RELAUNCH OF CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. EU leaders on March 8 debated the contents of the "Berlin Declaration" to be issued at their March 24-25 celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The Declaration, which will be jointly issued by the leaders, the Commission and the European Parliament (EP),will highlight the basic achievements of European integration and set out the EU's challenges and goals. Though the Declaration will be short and written in plain language, Chancellor Merkel said it was raising "controversial" issues such as further EU enlargement. Merkel wants to use the Declaration as a springboard for putting the EU back on the path to a constitutional settlement, but some statements by leaders at the European Council suggest this will be no easy task. Polish President Kaczynski, for instance, objected to reforming the system of weighted voting in the EU Council as envisaged under the draft Constitutional Treaty. End summary. BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS? -------------- ¶2. German Chancellor Merkel presented her fellow EU heads of state and government over dinner on March 8 with ideas for the "Berlin Declaration" to be issued by the leaders at their March 24-25 meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. Merkel subsequently told a post-dinner press conference the leaders concurred that the Declaration should be short (two or three pages) and free of technicalities: "There was complete agreement that the Declaration should be addressed to the citizens of Europe and therefore it should be comprehensible to them," she said. ¶3. EU sources said that, based on consultations held by the German EU Presidency, the Declaration would be in four parts, starting with a recall of the "European success story" and benefits drawn by member countries from the past fifty years of integration (peace, stability, prosperity). The draft would then refer to the EU's shared values by highlighting the concept of tolerance. A third part would mention the challenges facing the Union such as globalization, energy safety and climate change, as well as the need to be competitive in innovation and research. The text would conclude with a brief pointer to the future of Europe, possibly including language on the need for new institutional foundations. POSSIBLE STUMBLING BLOCKS -------------- ¶4. Merkel acknowledged "some controversial areas," such as future enlargements and the balance between integration and enlargement. She said her colleagues had tasked her to continue working on the draft together with Commission President Barroso and EP President Pttering "with a free hand" and "some very good material. The drafters would have some "room of maneuver" for formulations on "basic values" to be mentioned. Merkel said some wanted a statement to the effect that "enlargement represented an enrichment for the EU" and a "triumph of democracy over dictatorship." With respect to challenges ahead, Merkel mentioned climate change, the concepts of "coherence" (solidarity?) and the European social model. ¶5. Though the media had reported "disputes" among member states over the inclusion of exactly which achievements should be picked up for mention in the Declaration (the UK was said to reject references to the euro and the Schengen border-free area),German Presidency sources in Brussels downplayed those differences. EU sources added that several countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Luxembourg) were pushing for highlighting the social dimension of the Union. There would also be differences over whether the Christian roots of Europe should be mentioned in the text. Merkel is known to be in favor as would the Poles, but other countries, led by France, are opposed to it. CONSITIUTION: A DIRTY WORD? BRUSSELS 00000895 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶6. As an adviser to Merkel put it, "the objective of the Declaration" is also "to positively prepare Europe for a compromise on the Constitution." However, facing resistance from countries such as Poland and the UK, German officials said they would "not storm the wallsQ to impose the word 'constitution' in the Declaration. More likely, the Germans would seek to include a vaguely-worded reference to the need to reshape the EU machinery to ensure an effective working of the Union. UK PM Blair told reporters on arrival to Brussels: "I think the most important thing is to make changes that allow a Europe of 27 (member states) to work effectively." EP: KEEP US IN THE TENT -------------- ¶7. EP President Pttering urged the leaders to safeguard the substance of the draft Constitutional Treaty, saying reforms must be implemented "in such a way that the process brings us closer together, with the appropriate involvement of the European Parliament." Pttering told reporters he had no mandate from the EP to seek any reference to "God" in the Berlin Declaration or the Constitutional Treaty. However, speaking in a personal capacity, he suggested looking for "some form of words, some way of describing our roots, the Greek philosophy, Roman law, the Judeo-Christian heritage." VOTING -------------- ¶8. Other statements by EU leaders on the fringes of the European Council confirmed the difficulty of Merkel's task to revive the search for a constitutional settlement. Polish President Kaczynski objected to reforming the current system of weighted voting in the EU Council as envisaged under the draft Constitutional Treaty. The deal signed by EU leaders in 2004 would allow for decisions by "qualified-majority voting" to be adopted with the agreement of 55 percent of the countries corresponding to 65 percent of the overall EU population, a formula that would reduce the voting power of Spain and Poland as devised under the Nice Treaty. ICG --- ¶9. As a Central European government official put it, Merkel's "big problem" next June will therefore be to rally her partners on a mandate for the inter- governmental conference (IGC) that would be convened later this year for negotiating a revised Treaty (no longer expected to be called a "Constitution"). "If there is agreement, it will be a big success for Merkel," the official said. COMMENT -------------- ¶10. By involving the Presidents of the Commission and the EP in the drafting of the Berlin Declaration, Merkel may be able to broaden support thanks to close political friends in the European People's Party. But her task will surely be more delicate after the Berlin celebrations when she will need all her persuasion powers to crown her Presidency with consensus on a "roadmap" to a new constitutional settlement. Bearing in mind the political transitions in some countries, the need to sell the project to the UK, Poland and the Czech Republic, and to limit recourse to highly risky referendums, Merkel will likely be realistic and propose a short negotiation on a "simplified treaty." GRAY