constitution. Merkel spoke Sunday, March 25, in Berlin at the main celebration of the 50th anniversary of the bloc’s founding Treaty of Rome.
The "Ode To Joy" from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the European Union anthem, was the musical highlight at an otherwise solemn ceremony in Germany’s capital attended by leaders of the 27 EU member states. The main ceremony was held in Berlin because Germany holds the EU rotating presidency.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in what was then communist East Germany, appeared joyful that the gathering could be held in Berlin, which until German re-unification in 1990 was a symbol of Europe’s division.
However Merkel said she regrets the European Union remains divided over adopting a constitution. She vowed Germany would push for renewal of the constitutional treaty that was blocked by Dutch and French ‘no’ votes in referendums in 2005.
Poland is among countries seeking to have Europe’s Christian and Jewish roots mentioned in the treaty, values Merkel also mentioned as "personally very important" to her. However the main troubles have been with the French and Dutch ‘no’ votes against the constitution in referendums in 2005.
TIMETABLE DEMANDED
Merkel urged fellow EU leaders to agree on a timetable for the bloc’s constitution by the end of June. "I am working to ensure that a roadmap for this can be adopted at the close of Germany’s EU presidency, and I am counting on your support," she said. "I am certain that it is not only in the interest of Europe, but also of the individual member states and the citizens of the Europe, that this process be brought to a successful conclusion. Ms. Merkel said not to do so would be an historic failure.
Merkel said a constitution is needed for the bloc at a time when it plays a more global role, both economically and in its campaign defending human rights, including in nearby Belarus and further away in Sudan and Zimbabwe.
She spoke with admiration about pro-democracy activists in especially Belarus who on Sunday,
March 25, aimed to rally thousands of supporters in the capital of Belarus, Minsk, hoping to increase the momentum for change in the authoritarian ex-Soviet republic.
Last year’s annual protest march on what the opposition calls Freedom Day, the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of the first Belarusian state, ended with police clubbing defiant demonstrators and detaining hundreds, including Christians. BER
BERLIN DECLARATION
In Berlin, Merkel and other officials signed The Berlin Declaration, which recalls the Treaty of Rome and spells out the future role of the European Union, especially regarding human rights.
It says it remains "committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the world" and wants to ensure "that people do not become victims of war, terrorism and violence." The declaration also pledges to take a leading role to "drive back poverty, hunger and disease."
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said the Berlin Declaration is a good base for future negotiations on the constitution. "The text says what we have to do in the future. And the text commits ourselves to do everything to reform the European Union before the next European elections in June 2009," he said. "Some countries have a problem with the word constitution, which I personally and the European Parliament like very much. But the most decisive is that we can keep the substance of the Constitutional Treaty. If we do so and if we can find an agreement on the substance, that is the most important."
Yet, public opinion polls show that nearly half of all European Union citizens believe the institution is far removed from their everyday lives. Hungary is among the most skeptical countries with polls showing that just about 39 percent of the population believes EU membership is beneficial. Commentators suggest it will take more than this weekend’s EU-sponsored concerts in Brussels and night club or museum visits in Berlin, to change attitudes among Europeans. (This BosNewsLife story also airs on the Voice Of America VOA).
