Germany has included the goal of having a constitution for the European Union by 2009 in a draft declaration to mark the 50th anniversary of the bloc, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported Thursday.

The German government has prepared a so-called Berlin Declaration, which has been sent to the other 26 EU member states for approval and is to be signed at a giant birthday party for the bloc in the German capital Sunday.

Government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said on Wednesday that Berlin was confident the draft document would win the support of the entire union.

The weekend celebrations will mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the EU.

Germany is hoping to relaunch the drive to ratify an EU constitution with the signing of the Berlin Declaration, which is intended to spell out values and principles that unite the bloc.

Handelsblatt said that it had obtained a copy of the text, in which Germany states the goal of ending the constitutional crisis in two years, before elections for the European Parliament in 2009.

But the draft does not mention the word "constitution," so as to not provoke supporters of a more watered-down treaty.

The report noted that several states objected to including the date 2009, deeming it too early.
?
It added that the inclusion in the declaration of a "European social model" that can only be preserved by a united bloc was also a source of controversy.

Britain in particular has raised objections to the inclusion of such a phrase in a European constitution.

The Berlin Declaration will be signed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso and the head of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, at the EU summit Sunday.

(China Daily via agencies March 23, 2007)