France's Sarkozy urges EU reform

Mr Sarkozy said the 25-member bloc should adopt a "mini-treaty" to streamline its institutions and suspend its membership talks with Turkey.

He said member states should lose their veto right, and that the office of EU foreign minister should be introduced.

He said the mini-treaty should replace the proposed constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

"The constitutional treaty in its current form will not come into force - it's cruel but it is a fact"
Nicolas Sarkozy

"We should resort to a mini-treaty to achieve the most urgent institutional reforms," Mr Sarkozy said in a speech to the Friends of Europe think-tank in Brussels.

He said the rejection of the first EU constitution in referendums in France and the Netherlands had plunged the bloc into crisis.

"The constitutional treaty in its current form will not come into force - it's cruel but it is a fact," said Mr Sarkozy, who is seen as a front-runner in presidential elections in France next year.

He said the proposed mini-treaty could be negotiated next year and ratified by the end of 2008.

A wider "fundamental treaty" - like the failed constitution - could be introduced at a later stage, he added.

On the issue of the national veto right, Mr Sarkozy pushed for the creation of a "super-qualified" majority voting rule which would require 70-80% of votes for a decision to be approved.

He said the changes were needed because the current unanimity rule was slowing down the decision-making process on key issues.

He also said current membership talks with Turkey should be suspended.

"We should, for many reasons, deepen relations with it but without going as far as full membership," Mr Sarkozy said.

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