EUROPE: MERKEL (EU COUNCIL), "A CONSTITUTION BY 2009" (2)

” “The German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in speaking in front of the EU Assembly, "committed herself to set out a calendar for the launch of the Constitution, which must take place before the Parliamentary elections of 2009. A new failure on this front would be an epoch-making mistake". According to the presidency on duty of the EU Council, "the time of reflection is over. We have to move on, we have to aim at factual results". This is why the six-monthly schedule contains several sections. Wide is the part about "external relations", which concern the Western Balkans, the Middle East, the "good neighbourly policy" concerning the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Asia Minor, the partnership with the United States, the relations with Russia, the "African issue". In her speech to the floor, the head of Berlin’s Government insisted on the Lisbon Strategy: "The economic growth we are experiencing at this stage cannot be a goal in itself – she explained –. We have to aim at creating jobs and more social cohesion. This is why we have to lay some grounds" by betting on energy, competitiveness, "research and innovation", to promote "technology as well as talent and creativity". ” ” ” “