The EU Constitution will be replaced with the base agreement
26 July 2007Portugal, which is in the chair of the EU, during the session of Heads of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the EU member-states on Monday has officially presented the project of the new EU base agreement which is called to replace the European Constitution.
On Monday ministers of 27 EU member-states begin work above the text of the 200-page new document which main principles leaders of the EU have approved as a result of hard negotiations at June Summit in Brussels. It is planned, that negotiations on ratification of the new EU agreement will be finalized by the EU Summit in October, (18-19) in Lisbon.
The “facilitated” agreement which is believed to come into force in second half of 2009 after its ratification by EU members is called to replace the project of the EU Constitution.
Process of the Constitutional Act ratification signed by EU leaders in the autumn of 2004 in Rome, has been suspended in summer of 2005 after citizens of France and Netherlands have refused to support it on the national referenda.
The new base agreement on EU functioning will keep main provisions of the former Constitutional Act. In will not include clauses about a flag and a hymn of this regional organization.
It was decided also to eliminate the post of the EU Minister of Foreign Affairs which has been stipulated by the project of the Constitution.