EU hopes to submit constitution in the first half of 2007

It has been stalled since its rejection by voters in France and the Netherlands a year ago, according to the BBC News.

Photo: EU hopes to submit constitution in the first half of 2007

Heads of state and government of the European Union (EU) have agreed to put the EU constitution on hold for at least two years, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday.

The constitution will be submitted in the first half of 2007 during Germany 's EU presidency. The EU leaders will then examine the prospects for the constitution. A decision is not expected until the second half of 2008.

The rejection of the EU constitution, which would have provided for the necessary institutional reforms to cope with the enlarged bloc, by France and the Netherlands last summer put the EU into chaos and forced leaders to allow a one-year "pause for reflection. "

As the period of reflection draws to an end, there is still no consensus among the member states on how to revitalize the ratification process, People's Daily Online reports.