German report on new EU Treaty omits voting system

An eagerly awaited German presidency report on how to reform the European Union's institutions omitted any mention of changing the proposed voting system, which Poland insists must be re-weighted.
The report circulated to the 27 member states on Thursday and obtained by Reuters urges next week's EU summit to give "a precise and comprehensive mandate" to negotiate a new treaty preserving the substance of the failed constitution.
Talks should be concluded by the end of this year, it said. It listed six open issues that require further discussion EU symbols and the primacy of EU law; changes in terminology; what to do with a Charter of Fundamental Rights; the place of EU foreign policy; the division of powers between Brussels and member states; and the role of national parliaments.
But it made no mention of going back on the so-called double majority voting system, which 25 member states want to preserve as it was reformed by the 2004 constitutional treaty, rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums. Poland has threatened to veto a new treaty at the June 21-22 summit unless the voting reform question is left open.
It argues that system proposed in 2004 would reduce its power unacceptably compared to the 2000 Nice treaty, which gave it almost as many votes as Germany, with twice its population.
"After two years of uncertainty following the problems encountered in the process of ratification of the Constitutional Treaty, it is clear that there is now a general desire to settle this issue and move on," the German roadmap said. "All member states recognise that further uncertainty about the treaty reform process would jeopardise the Union's ability to deliver."
The report confirmed that the word constitution will be dropped and the EU will instead amend the two existing treaties. It said references to energy security and climate change may be added, provided they confer no new powers on the EU.
Britain wants the Charter of Fundamental Rights, setting out broad principles such as the right to strike, removed from the treaty. The report said most states could accept that provided the treaty makes its provisions legally binding.