Duitse bondskanselier roept op tot nieuw EU-verdrag in 2009 (en)

EUOBSERVER / BERLIN - The EU has marked its 50th anniversary with the adoption of the Berlin declaration in a ceremony in the German capital which saw EU leaders solemnly rise to hear Europe's semi-official anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy.

The anthem sounded through the German Historical Museum in Berlin which was packed with EU leaders, their wives and other EU VIPs on Sunday (25 March).

The Berlin declaration was read out in a somewhat low-profile fashion by ex-German TV presenter Jo Brauner, while it was being signed by German chancellor Angela Merkel, current EU president, as well as European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso i and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering i.

All three signatories in their speeches used the occasion not only to look back on 50 years of "Europe" since the 1957 Rome treaty - but also to give a clear political touch to the festive event by calling for a new EU treaty.

Ms Merkel kicked off her speech by sharing some of her own memories of Berlin before Europe was re-united after the fall of communism. "A few metres from here, my road ended," she said referring to the fact that for most of her life she lived in communist East Germany.

"But after all, the wall did come down. I've experienced myself that nothing has to stay as it is."

"That is a hope for those in Europe that still suffer from repression - as for example the people in Belarus," she stated. "Europe is on your side," she told the Belarusians, triggering applause in the Berlin museum.

Applause also broke out when the German chancellor referred to the part in the declaration on the necessity for EU institutional reform.

The clapping came despite the Berlin declaration being vague on the controversial issue, merely stating that the EU's "common basis" should be "renewed" before the European Parliament elections in 2009.

The weak language reflects strong scepticism towards institutional reform by states like the Czech Republic, Poland, the UK and the Netherlands.

"It is true - those who hoped that 50 years after the Treaty of Rome, we would have had a constitutional treaty, have been disappointed. But it is equally true that those who had hoped that Europe would be aware of its need to strengthen its inner arrangements, will find that this Berlin declaration shows the way forward," Ms Merkel said.

"That is why I am striving for a road map to be agreed at the end of the German presidency - and I am looking to you for your support," she told heads of state and government.

"It is not only in the interest in of Europe, but also of the single member states and the citizens of Europe, that we succeed in this task. A failure would be an historical mistake. What we decide will have echoes into the future, for good and ill."

Mr Barroso echoed Ms Merkel's words, saying that "efficient, democratic and coherent institutions" are needed.

"This is the kind of historical test that a generation of political leaders faces once in their lifetime," he said.

European Parliament chief Poettering reminded leaders that MEPs want "the substance of the constitution - including our common values - adopted before the European Parliament elections in 2009."

Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi i, who spoke as the leader of the country where the Rome treaty was signed, gave the strongest pro-constitution speech. It was also in Rome where the disputed EU constitution was signed in 2004.

"To continue building, we now need new rules, but not starting from zero," he said.

"The treaty signed in Rome in October 2004 forms a very solid basis... a text signed by the 27 heads of state and ratified by 18 countries."

But the pro-constitution speeches do not change the opposition to the text in Warsaw, Prague, The Hague and London, with leaders expected to have a strong discussion on the issue during lunch on Sunday.