SALZBURG, 28/01/06 - Europe is not in crisis, even if the EU Constitution was voted down in the Netherlands and France. With this optimistic message, and avoiding hard statements like "the constitution is dead," Premier Jan Peter Balkenende debated Friday with colleagues and intellectuals on the EU of the future.

The Netherlands has recently been sharply criticised because virtually nothing has been heard from it since the referendum on 1 June 2005, when a large majority of the Dutch trashed the Constitution. Foreign Minister Ben Bot recently openly declared the constitution "dead." This caused bad blood among many European politicians, particularly in Germany.

Balkenende avoided such statements Friday at the meeting on "The sound of Europe" in Salzburg. According to the premier, the problem with the constitution is not just in France and the Netherlands. "In Great Britain and in Poland there are also problems. And if there had been referenda in Belgium or Germany, I would still have to see what the outcome was."

Balkenende considers it "unrealistic to present the same text to the electorate again after some time." Additionally, he believes the problem lies deeper. "It would be too simple to say: the two countries (the Netherlands and France) must do something, and then everything will be fine again." The premier avoided any speculation about what the Netherlands should do, or what should be changed in the text of the constitution.

Balkenende was charmed by US Professor Moravcsik, who believes that those who want to make a sort of super-state out of Europe are doing the EU no service. The aim of the conference, organised by Austria, presently holding the EU presidency, was to look for the 'values' that European countries share. The Netherlands earlier organised a similar meeting.