Only the fact that we stand a good chance of having a new treaty in 2009 will pave the way for enlargement, Merkel said.
The Treaty of Nice was designed for 27 member-countries and with it, enlargement would be impossible. That was one of the main reasons why we said that we had to act quickly. Only with a new treaty that we will get will Croatia be able to become a member, Merkel said.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that without a new treaty, the EU would not be able to go on with enlargement because some members would oppose it. This is a big success for enlargement, especially for Croatia, he said.
EU leaders on Saturday agreed on a detailed mandate for a new treaty after reaching a compromise solution with Poland on the decision-making process.
We have a precise and detailed mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference, Merkel told reporters.
An Intergovernmental Conference will convene this autumn to harmonise the text of the treaty by the end of the year, so that it could be ratified by the member-countries' parliaments before elections for the European Parliament scheduled for spring 2009.
The latest agreement definitely abandons the European constitution, which failed after being rejected at referendums in France and the Netherlands. The new treaty, which will remove institutional obstacles to enlargement and facilitate the functioning of the EU, contains crucial solutions from the failed constitution, including the introduction of the office of President of the EU Council, the office of High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, who is to act also as vice-president of the European Commission, the adoption of decisions by double majority vote, and the reduction of the number of areas which are decided by consensus.
Great Britain too was a major obstacle to the latest agreement, but its demands were met by exempting it from some of the provisions of the new treaty. The exemptions refer to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and issues from the areas of judiciary and home affairs.