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Europe
Merkel 'convinced' EU needs a constitution
2006-10-12
Chancellor Angela Merkel called Wednesday for reviving the failed European Union constitution but admitted that next year's German EU presidency would not achieve any breakthrough on the issue. "I am firmly convinced we need a constitution," said Merkel after talks with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso about Germany's programme for the EU presidency, which Berlin holds during the first half of 2007.

Dutch leaders have called for the text to be radically reduced in scope and for removal of the name "constitution". France is not expected to make any new moves on the constitution until after French presidential elections in May 2007.

Merkel admitted that Germany would not be able to clinch any final constitutional deal during its EU presidency which ends on June 30, 2007. Instead, Berlin would seek to hammer out a "roadmap" for further moves on the treaty, she said. The German leader rejected Dutch calls for a stripped-down text. "It must be something which deserves the name constitution and not merely an institutional set of rules," said the chancellor.
Posted by:Seafarious

#6  Hey, Kofi. I think Steve can use it. [wag]
Posted by: Jackal   2006-10-12 11:43  

#5  For anyone interested in the EU go here.

http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/

Posted by: AlanC   2006-10-12 10:36  

#4  Before evn reading the first line the way it was designed was unaccaptable: not by the representaives of the people but by undemocratically appointed "experts" and bureaucrats. on name of what was Gisacard d'Estaing, a guy whose preisdency ws marred by scandals, whose disastrous rule brought socialists to power and who nowadays would not be voted as city dogcatcher, become the main architect of this
"Constitution"?

No way I will ver vote something eleborated this way.
Posted by: JFM   2006-10-12 01:58  

#3  Merkel 'convinced' EU needs a constitution

note to self: sell Angela my surplus paper.


Posted by: Kofi Anan   2006-10-12 01:38  

#2  should read, EU needs to take a constitution
Posted by: Captain America   2006-10-12 00:56  

#1  The US Constitution is a minimalist extensible framework. It does not try to spell out every detail and every law for running the country but establishes a system for managing those laws. It's extensible via amendment, but places sufficient barriers to amendment such that changes occur infrequently (and only when sufficient consensus is reached).

In contrast many US states and many countries have constitutions that are much more heavy weight and try to spell out each and every law for running the state or country. Consequently, they must be changed frequently and quickly become unwieldy. Imagine if you had to amend the constitution every time you changed the pay or responsibilities of some public official.

Anyway, the proposed European constitution was a bad example of the later philosophy. Given the thinking of the Euro elites, I doubt that a 'revised' constitution will be any better. A heavy weight unmanageable constitution for Europe would exact a price both economically and in terms of loss of freedoms. Given Europes other problems, a 'new' constitution is the last thing they need.
Posted by: DMFD   2006-10-12 00:21  

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