"I except the Berlin Declaration", which will be approved by the heads of state and government of the EU member states on March 25th 2007, "to be concise and revealing, to revive the debate on the future of the Constitutional Treaty and the whole integration process". Bertie Ahern, the Prime Minister of Ireland, invited by the European Parliament, spoke of his "idea of the journey of Europe", in Brussels this afternoon. Speaking in Gaelic (for the first time and on experimental basis, such language has been added to the current 20 EU official languages), Ahern stated that "there are several covert challenges we have to face to continue what has been done over 50 years in the life of the Community". Among these, the Irish politician mentioned "competitiveness, that needs investments, research and the building of a market without frontiers"; "the renewal of the European social model", by strengthening social cohesion and employment; the protection of the environment; the availability of an appropriate budget to accomplish all of the common policies; "the pursue of the interests of the citizens, who expect real results from this Europe". Finally, Ahern stated: "The Constitutional Charter can be amended, without invalidating its basic structure".
