Deutsche Welle: Crisis Talks in Berlin tonight to Assess EU Charter Wreck in France and Holland

Deutsche Welle Crisis Talks in Berlin tonight to Assess EU Charter Wreck in France and Holland

The German chancellor is in a defiant mood now that Dutch and French voters have rejected the new EU charter and plunged the European Union into severe crisis. One day ahead of his meeting with Jacques Chirac in Berlin, Schröder vowed to press ahead towards the goal of a fully-fledged constitution. "I will not accept attempts to stop the entire project simply because two countries rejected it," he said. "Germany has adopted the constitution as well as a number of other countries. Only at the end of the ratification process will we be able to decide what to do next. That is why any form of overreaction is totally misplaced." What may come under discussion during the crisis talks are ways to extract key provisions in the treaty such as streamlining the EU voting system and establishing the post of an EU foreign minister so that are not subject to referendums. Another possibility would be to continue with the ratification process and assess the situation at the end of it in 2006. Berlin appears to be placing some hope on a much-underrated annex to the constitution treaty which allows for an EU summit meeting to discuss further steps if at least 20 of the 25 EU members have ratified the charter. Note EU-Digest: Most Political insiders are in favor of continuing the ratification process and believe that England's Tony Blair must now more than ever show his solidarity on Europe and continue to participate in the ratification process. It is time to pull together on Europe if we don't want US domination in world politics and economics.