German chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Sunday, one day after holding talks with Polish President Lech Kaczynski, as she tries to secure a compromise to bring back to life the European constitution.

The two eastern European countries, together with Netherlands and the UK, have been the staunchest opponents of the new EU treaty.

Germany's six month as holder of the EU rotating presidency expires this month and Merkel will push for a concrete timetable on adopting the treaty at the bloc's forthcoming summit.

The German chancellor made the EU constitution one of the top issues of the election campaign that won her the office last year.

But several countries have proved difficult to bring on board, most notably Poland, whose ruling Kaczynski twins are critical of the proposal, which would cut the country's voting rights.

The proposed treaty, which largely mirrors the one French and Dutch voters shot down at referendums two years ago, would also boost the powers of the bigger countries, including Germany, which has awoken the ghosts of Polish-German antagonism.

The new treaty, which will not be called a Constitution, which turned off a lot of the voters as encroaching too much on national sovereignty, seeks to simplify decision making in the EU, which has grown to 27 countries in January, from 15 three years previous.

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