Guardian: Germany pushes fast-track strategy for EU constitution - by Ian Traynor and David Gow

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Germany pushes fast-track strategy for EU constitution - by Ian Traynor and David Gow

Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, launched a fast-track campaign last night to get a slimmed-down European constitution agreed by EU governments within a year without recourse to national referendums. According to officials in Brussels and ministers in eastern and western Europe, the German leader plans to have the charter wrapped up by February.

To avoid controversy and division and to try to avoid national referendums, the blueprint reshaping how Europe is run would no longer be called a constitution. While retaining the key points, it would also be a fraction of the size of the document agreed by EU governments in 2004 but then rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005. Ms Merkel aims to set up a conference of government officials from all 27 members countries in June to thrash out the details by the end of the year.