Europese leiders schuiven hete "Grondwet"-aardappel voor zich uit (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - UPDATED Friday 15.00 CET EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday (15 June) agreed to move from one vague term describing the frozen constitution process on to another, equally vague term.

After a fairly brief and matter-of-fact discussion on the document - which has been in political limbo since its rejection last year by French and Dutch voters - leaders ended the "period of reflection" on the constitution and announced they were entering the "two-track" stage.

Heralding the new phase Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schussel said "we are moving away from the rhetoric" to concentrate on the "delivery of concrete results."

One track of this phase is meant to represent tackling how to proceed with the "reform process" while the second is about emphasizing tangible good deeds at the EU level which citizens can directly relate to - such as a recent decision by the commission to tackle high mobile phone costs.

But the official language surrounding the constitution is a study in haziness and reflects deep divisions over whether to continue with the ratification process.

The conclusions state "it is being understood that the necessary steps _ will have been taken during the second semester of 2008 at the latest" but Mr Schussel conceded that "there is no absolute consensus on how we should deliver"

Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen also noted that it was "very unclear" what the steps would be in 2008.

But German chancellor Angela Merkel said it was "urgently necessary that [the EU] reach consensus" before the 2009 European elections.

Delicate wording around continued ratification was only agreed at the fourth attempt.

An earlier draft said "it is hoped that the process will be continued successfully". But this was deemed too optimistic by those countries that have not yet ratified the treaty and so it was changed to "it is hoped that the process will be completed".

"The decision that was taken is to continue the ratification process", said Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker, giving his assessment of the summit conclusions.

According to one source, those countries that would have a referendum on the constitution were determined not to be pushed into a declaration about continued ratification.

Denmark was particularly strong in protesting against being backed into a corner but none of the countries with public polls before them - including Poland, the UK, Ireland and the Czech Republic - wanted to take the lead on the issue.

There was a feeling that France and the Netherlands have to make the move first before any other country would, noted one EU diplomat.

Czech president Vaclav Klaus pointed out afterwards however, that none of the leaders around the table wanted to directly challenge the two founding member states to do something about the constitution.

He also said the change from the reflection process to the twin-track Europe of delivery phase was just a "game of words."

But other leaders were keen to portray the summit as having made substantial progress.

European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said it is "clearly a good consensus" adding that now the period should "focus on delivery."

Italian president Romano Prodi said "This is the European Council of departure, after the No votes of the French citizens and the Netherlands".

Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, the Polish prime minister, said "[we decided] not just to continue the process of ratification, but to continue the process of discussion...you have to take these two conclusions together"

Concrete steps in the conclusions included the German presidency being tasked with completing a report on "an assessment of the state of discussion" on the treaty in the first half of 2007 and a political declaration by EU leaders "setting out Europe's values and ambitions and confirming their shared commitment to deliver them" in March next year, marking the 50th anniversary of the founding EU treaty of Rome.