INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE: BERLIN WANTS DEADLINE FOR ADOPTING EU CONSTITUTION.

• Position: Brief Article

The German authorities will put pressure on the Irish Government, which takes over the European Union Presidency from Italy on January 1, to ensure that during the Spring European Council on March 25 and 26, 2004, the 25 Member States will set a deadline for finalising work on the Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) and the adoption of a Constitution. Berlin will push for this deadline to be set at March 2005.

Such were the reports in Sunday newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, citing sources close to the German Government. The paper says that Berlin holds out little hope that the 25 will reach a compromise in...