THE HAGUE, 30/05/06 - A year after the Dutch rejection of the European Constitution, Foreign Minister Ben Bot considers it too early to bury the Constitution. "I would not draw this conclusion yet."

The minister has repeatedly stated that the Constitution is dead. Nonetheless, the EU must go ahead with "necessary changes." At the same time, says Bot, "it remains clear that we will not present the Constitution to the population again in its present form. (...) You cannot ask a teacher to have a class do an examination a second time."

Bot and his EU counterparts agreed in Vienna last Saturday to take an extra year to reflect on how the 25 member states could proceed further administratively following the rejection of the Constitution. Bot, who himself pressed for the longer period of reflection, wants in the interim to develop "cooperation projects" which foster positive feelings among citizens and show that "Europe still lives." He is thinking of practical cooperation in the areas of energy, police, justice and employment.

The EU ministers decided in Vienna that a new European treaty should be worked on from mid-2007 through the European elections in spring 2009, which could prepare the EU for further enlargement in the much longer term. Germany, which holds the EU presidency in the first half of 2007, must table plans for a new text in June 2007. In the meantime, elections can take place in the Netherlands and France.

Bot believes the text tabled in 2009 should no longer be called a constitution. "I think it is not useful to talk about constitutions any more," said the minister. European Commission President José Barroso is still attached to the word constitution, but promised that "if anyone has a better idea," he will consider it.

According to insiders, the 16 member states that have approved the Constitution want to step up the pressure on the no-voters, the Netherlands and France, by allowing as many countries to approve the Constitution as possible in the interim. "These countries will also want to include as many aspects as possible from the Constitution in a new treaty," noted Bot.

Bot does not want the EU to get lost in a discussion of the question of whether for certain partnership projects, the decision must first be taken on majority voting versus retaining the veto. "I think that the preparedness for cooperation is completely present for clearly visible matters where we can achieve progress."

According to Bot, the possibility of another big EU enlargement in the coming years is ruled out. Only Croatia could join in around 2009. This would give the EU 28 member states, and Bos sees this as a ceiling for the time being.