Leaders of the European Union Adopted Sunday the Declaration of Berlin with which the EU marked its 50th anniversary.
Adopting a new constitutional treaty by the end of 2009 is one of the things included in the Berlin Declaration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU presidency at the moment, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and EP President Hans-Gert Poetering signed the declaration in the German Historical Museum at the presence of the leader of the 27 member states.
"Europe is strong and active, when it speaks in one voice," Angela Merkel said at the signing and appealed to he colleagues to back the efforts for reviving the constitution because if it does not happen, it will by a "historical mistake".
EP President Poetering said the Union needs to be even more democratic, open and close to the people. This is why the EU needs a new constitution treaty not later than 2009, he added.
The Declaration of Berlin aims at giving a new impetus to Europe after the institutional crisis of 2005, which was caused by the French and the Dutch saying "No" to the referendums.
The Declaration was written in the clear, common language withput the heavy EU language clichГ©s in it, because it must be understood by United Europe's 500 M citizens.
The document outlines EU's prospects for the future and lays open the challenges the Union will face.