Speaking to reporters before the start of a two-day informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, Asselborn said that today the ministers would discuss the European Council's agenda for June and determine guidelines so that an EU constitution could be adopted by 2009.
I hope that Romania and Bulgaria will join on 1 January 2007, and we will continue that process with Croatia and Turkey. Another enlargement round - no, but the door remains open to the Balkans which has a European prospect and we must keep it, Asselborn said.
The meeting in Klosterneuburg was called by the Austrian EU Presidency in an attempt to overcome big differences in the positions of EU member-states on future steps following last year's refusal of the European constitution by France and the Netherlands.
The EU's Constitutional Charter, which has been ratified by 15 member-countries and which must be ratified by all 25 members in order to go into force, is the crucial document for future EU enlargement because the Nice agreement, the basis of today's EU, does not envisage more than 27 member-countries. This number will be reached with the admission of Bulgaria and Romania.