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5/28/06

EU Fails to Break Treaty Deadlock, Hurting Enlargement Plans

Bloomberg.com: Europe

"EU Fails to Break Treaty Deadlock, Hurting Enlargement Plans

May 28 (Bloomberg) -- European Union governments failed to produce a plan to salvage the EU's draft constitution, raising membership hurdles for Balkan nations such as Croatia and Turkey.

EU foreign ministers decided to prolong until mid-2007 a ``period of reflection'' begun last year after French and Dutch voters rejected the constitution. The new charter is meant to streamline EU decision-making so more nations can join after the planned entry of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.

The EU must ``continue the reflection period for a year,'' Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot told reporters at a weekend ministerial meeting outside Vienna that ended today. His Luxembourg counterpart, Jean Asselborn, said the goal is to show ``what we are doing in June 2007 to have a constitution in 2009.''"

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