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Chirac, Schroeder back EU constitution
 German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and France's President Jacques Chirac have both affirmed their commitment to the EU's proposed constitution despite decisive rejections by French and Dutch voters. Schroeder's spokesman, Bela Anda, also underlined on Sunday a new willingness to show flexibility with the EU's future budget and said that "everyone has to move" on the issue. "We cannot drop the idea of Europe because there are difficulties," Anda said after the meeting at Schroeder's office. "We must use this development to make very, very clear that Europe is more than short-term voting behaviour - this is about creating lasting peace, bringing about prosperity and freedom." Chirac's spokesman, Jerome Bonnafont, added that "one country cannot decide on its own the fate of a treaty negotiated and signed by 25 states. Each member state must be able to express itself in its turn". Ten countries have ratified the EU constitution, most of them in parliamentary votes - among them Germany. Posted by: Fred 2005-06-06 |
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