EU draft constitution agreed

Peter Hain (left) said the draft was a good basis for negotiation

A final version of the draft constitution for an enlarged European Union has been agreed after tough last-minute negotiations in Brussels.

The document is to be presented to EU leaders at a summit in Greece next week.

Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who headed the convention that produced the text, said that history had been made.

The closer you stick to our text... the lighter will be your task Valery Giscard d'Estaing's advice to EU heads of state

However, several countries including Britain and Spain said the draft would need to be amended when governments start to debate it later this year.

"This will be a good foundation for final negotiations," said Britain's chief negotiator, Peter Hain.

The convention has also put off a final decision on some controversial issues until after the summit in Thessaloniki.

These include the question of whether EU should drop national vetoes in foreign, defence, taxation and cultural matters.

Mr Giscard d'Estaing said that when he handed over the draft to next week's summit he would advise the leaders there to tamper with it as little as possible.

"I will make just one recommendation to the Council: The closer you stick to our text, which has been discussed and reflected upon at great length, then the lighter will be your task."

Two presidents

The 105 members of the convention, representing 25 countries, have been working on the text with a president and two vice-presidents for 16 months.

Clickable guide to the draft constitution Excerpts from the latest draft

They have reached broad agreement to extend qualified majority voting to a range of new areas, including immigration and asylum policy.

The debate has been dominated by tensions between small states, which favour strengthening the European Commission - the EU's executive arm - and the larger states, which prefer joint decision-making by governments.

The final draft constitution creates a new post of president of the European Council - the body made up of heads of EU member states - who will work in parallel to the President of the Commission.

It also introduces a foreign minister who will get his or her mandate from the European Council, but will serve as a vice-president of the Commission.

Europe united

Some of the changes are designed to make it easier to administer the EU when 10 new members join the 15 already in the union next year.

This project proves that a united Europe is possible Slovenian parliamentarian Alojz Peterle

"We are setting up a new political age, more efficient, more democratic, and assuming [Europe's] full role on the world stage," said French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.

Slovenian parliamentarian Alojz Peterle said that the draft was part of the project of unifying Europe after 50 years of Cold War division.

"This project proves that a united Europe is possible, and an expanded Europe can be successful," he said.