Czechs soften up on constitution, but set demands

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PRAGUE, April 26 (Reuters) - The Czech government is ready to discuss a new European treaty based on the failed constitution with an eye to an agreement by 2009, according to a government document seen by Reuters on Thursday.

The negotiating position, approved by the government late on Wednesday, demands, however, that the word "constitution" is dropped and the treaty is stripped of other terms creating the idea of a European super-state, it said.

The Czech Republic's centre-right government has been one of the toughest opponents of reviving the original European constitution, an option preferred by Germany which holds the EU presidency.

The constitution was meant to beef up the EU's decision-making powers by giving it a new voting system, a permanent presidency and foreign minister. But it was thrown out by voters in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

Germany aims to secure an agreement at an EU summit in June on a political outline and timetable for drafting the new treaty.

The Czechs had previously stressed there should be no time framework for a new treaty, and that in an ideal world, a new agreement should be written from scratch.

"The government ... will, however, maintain that the new or amended treaty must bring more transparency, clarity and simplicity," the document said.

Any new treaty must not cut the voting weight of the Czech Republic and countries of similar size, it should remove the word constitution, or give any impression of a treaty leading to the establishment of a super-state, the document said.

The control mechanism of national parliaments over European Commission legislative drafts should also be strengthened.

The Czechs also said the EU should remain open to further enlargement.

Keywords: EU CZECH/CONSTITUTION