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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, November 24, 2001

Paris, Berlin Back "European Constitution"

French and German leaders Friday announced they jointly back the idea of a "European constitution,"saying that it is " an essential step in the historic process of European integration."


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French and German leaders Friday announced they jointly back the idea of a "European constitution,"saying that it is "an essential step in the historic process of European integration."

Paris and Berlin wish to see "clarification of legislative and executive functions" of the European Union (EU), said French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in a joint declaration issued following their one-day summit in the Loire Valley city of Nantes in western France.

They insisted on the necessity to expand the vote of qualified majority within the European Council, an issue that divided the 15EU members at the Amsterdam summit in 1997 and the Nice summit last year. Paris and Berlin welcome the coming establishment of a Convention, which, is expected to be composed of representatives of member states, national parliaments, European Parliament and European Commission, "will constitute an innovative instrument" inpreparing for EU reforms, said the declaration.

"France and Germany already share identical positions on a widerange of the reforms, such as on the integration of the EU Charterof the fundamental rights into the future European constitution...and on the goal of building a more competent, comprehensive and transparent organization," it said.

As motors for the European integration and in order to reinforce the dynamic of the European project, France and Germany pledged in the declaration to seek common grounds on all questionsin the long term. The French-German summit, the 78th of its kind, took place three weeks ahead of a crucial summit on December 14-15 in Laeken,Belgium, at which European leaders will review progress made in entry talks for a dozen eastern European candidates and launch a two-year round of debate on the construction and the future of theblock. By 2004, they should have drawn up a new blueprint of its institutions.




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