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Italy, Germany Launch Idea of Common Constitution in Europe
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and his German counterpart Johannes Rau rounded off a two-day visit to Italy's Sicily Friday, issuing a joint statement which focused mainly on the idea of solidifying European unity through a common constitution.
The two presidents promised to "contribute to the development of decision making processes for European unity and to support efforts to design a constitutional framework for Europe."
Ciampi and Rau agreed that they "share a similar vision of the future of European development", and said they believe their views "reflect the expectations and feelings of the citizens" of their respective countries.
In their statement, the two presidents agreed to "encourage and support studies in all of Europe directed at sparking the European constitutional debate."
The presidents stressed that "the European Charter of Fundamental Rights must be an essential part of the European Constitution."
The two presidents, the statement said, also discussed the importance of inter-cultural dialogues between the West and Islam and stressed that Mediterranean regions could bring much color to these exchanges.
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