France, Netherlands agree on "simplified EU treaty"

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Saturday agreed to support a simplified treaty that would not have the character of a European constitution, the French President's office said.

With the EU summit to be held on June 21-22, Sarkozy and Balkenende agreed it was necessary to find a rapid solution to the blockage in the European institutions, said a communique issued by the president's office.

It should firstly "privilege the solution of a simplified treaty that would not have the character of a European constitution", the communique said.

Sarkozy and Balkenende also noted the necessity of conserving the current achievements of the EU, notably the reinforcement of the national parliaments' role in the EU construction, the double majority method of voting and the extension of the use of the qualified majority system.

Sarkozy and Balkenende agreed on the need for an accord on the new treaty at next week's summit, saying that an intergovernmental conference should be held on the treaty quickly after the summit.

Source: Xinhua