German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and visiting French President Jacques Chirac agreed on Saturday to push ahead with the ratification process of the European Union (EU) constitution even after the rejection by French and Dutch voters.

"Both men are in agreement that the ratification process of the constitution in other countries must go on," German government spokesman Bela Anda told reporters in Berlin.

In their two-hour-long dinner meeting, Schroeder and Chirac also exchanged views on ways to avert a potential financial crisis in the EU funding in the 2007-2013 period due to disputes over a new distribution of income and expenditure.

Germany intends to offer extra 10 billion euros (12.3 billion US dollars) during 2007-2013 to help forge a medium term budget deal, German daily Tagesspiegel reported Saturday.

Schroeder, whose country has approved the EU constitution, was scheduled to meet British Prime Minster Tony Blair in Berlin on June 13.

The EU leaders would hold a summit in Brussels to discuss EU issues on June 16-17.

Source: Xinhua