Current status concerning EU Constitution:
Bundestag and Bundesrat ratified the EU Constitution on 11 May and 27 May 2005, respectively. The German President has yet to complete the ratification process.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it clear she will re-launch the Constitution during Germanys Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007.
UPDATES
16 June 2006: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after the Brussels EU Summit (15-16 June) that it was "urgently necessary that [the EU] reaches consensus" before the 2009 European elections. We need to say clearly what we require for Europe... for that we need the Constitution. (Direction Gnrale de l'Information, European Parliament, Brussels)
05 May 2006: According to the Eurobarometer results:
- 52% think their country's EU membership is "a good thing".
- 32% chose "a common constitution" when asked to choose two from six options concerning what "would be most helpful for the Future of Europe" (second highest)
- 34% chose "a common constitution" when asked to choose two from six options concerning what "would strengthen your feelings about being a European citizen."
Snippets:
11 May 2006: Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Bundestag: "We absolutely need the Constitution to ensure the European Union is effective and capable of action... [...]. We need to think about how we make the Constitution a success. I want the Constitution, the German government wants the Constitution and I think a majority of this parliament wants it too."
Angela Merkel believes that the whole text of the Constitution should remain intact, adding only a declaration on the "social dimension of Europe" to appease the French and Dutch voters.