Germany hopes to have new EU treaty agreed in December

(BRUSSELS) - The German EU presidency hopes to have a new European constitution agreed by the 27 member states by the end of the year, Spanish state secretary for the European Union Alberto Navarro said Wednesday.

Under their timetable, the Germans will present proposals for a reworked constitution, sticking as closely as possible to the original version, towards the end of June when its EU presidency runs out, Navarro said.

"The goal is to retain as much of the treaty, which has already been ratified by the majority of member states, as possible," he told reporters after addressing the European parliament in Brussels.

The original EU constitution was signed by all member states but was put in the diplomatic deep freeze after French and Dutch voters rejected it in national referendums in 2005.

Nonetheless 18 of the 27 EU nations have formally ratified it.

The German government has stressed its wish to revive the treaty idea, and prepare a revised text as close as possible to the original.

Berlin will recommend that a June European summit should set up "an intergovernmental conference (ICG), which is required to reform the constitutional treaty project," said Navarro.

"The plan is to sign a new treaty at the December summit (when Portugal will hold the EU presidency) and to give a reasonable period of 12-14 months for the ratification process," so that the new treaty can come into effect by the next European parliamentary election in June 2009, he added.

"Germany's intention is to give a very clear mandate to the ICG pointing out precisely the points that could be modified," he said.

The German plans are unlikely to be confirmed before May 7, the day after the second round of the French presidential election, said Navarro.

The main candidate of the French right, Nicolas Sarkozy, hopes to get the French parliament to ratify a "simplified treaty" while his leftist rival Segolene Royal wants to add new elements to the original constitution and put it to another national referendum.