After painful negotiations, leaders from the European Union member states clinched a deal early Saturday on the framework of a new EU treaty, which was intended to replace the failed EU constitution.

An Intergovernmental Conference will be empowered to hammer out the detailed treaty based on the deal in the latter half of this year. Following are the main points of what the leaders agreed:

No constitution or superstate nature

The new treaty should be to amend the existing treaties with a view to streamlining the decision-making mechanism of the enlarged bloc. The constitutional concept was abandoned and the term " constitution" will not be used. Even the denominations like "law" and "framework law" were also rejected.

There will be no article mentioning the symbols of the EU such as the flag, the anthem or the motto, which may suggest a superstate nature for the EU.

Double majority voting

A double majority voting system will be introduced to the Council of the EU, a decision-making body composed of member states's ministers, which means a decision needs approval from at least 55 percent of the number of member states and at the same time 65 percent of EU's total population. Member states will cede the present veto powers.

In order to overcome determined objection of Poland, the EU leaders reached a compromise deal, under which the voting scheme will apply as from 2014, with three-year transition period allowed.

Among other institutional changes, the European Council will be transformed from the highest-level regular talks attended by leaders of member states into an institution and have its own president.

The amending treaty will provide a new composition for the European Parliament and the European Commission. The role of the Commission's President will be strengthened.

New EU foreign policy chief

A new post of EU foreign policy chief will be established in the treaty. The formal title is High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, instead of Foreign Minister of the EU as envisaged in the constitutional treaty, due to Britain's opposition.

The new foreign policy chief will take over the jobs from present foreign policy chief Javier Solana and EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

The new chief, who is at the same time a Vice President of the European Commission, will chair meetings of the 27 EU foreign ministers and head a combined foreign service with both national and EU diplomats.

More saying for national parliaments

National parliaments will have more power to influence the EU decision-making, as demanded by the Netherlands.

The period given to national parliaments to examine draft legislative texts and to give a reasoned opinion will be extended from six to eight weeks.

If a draft legislative act is contested by a simple majority of the votes allocated to national parliaments, the European Commission will re-examine the draft act.

Charter of fundamental rights

The text of the EU Charter of fundamental rights will not be included in the new treaty, a clear victory for Britain, which was concerned the inclusion of the Charter may affect its labor laws.

London also feared that a new treaty would give Brussels too much power on criminal justice matters.

But the treaty provision will contain a cross reference to the Charter.

Opt-out of judicial and police cooperation

Member states will be permitted to opt out of the judicial cooperation in criminal matters and police cooperation under the new treaty, also to overcome Britain's objection.

EU leaders agreed to insert a new mechanism enabling member states to go forward with adopting measures in this field while allowing others not to participate.

Omission of free competition

Under France's insistence, the new treaty will not mention free competition in its clause defining the EU's objectives.

Germany, which holds the EU presidency until the end of this month, had proposed that the EU should, among others, offer its citizens an internal market "where competition is free and undistorted."

However, the new French President Nicolas Sarkozy insisted the words "where competition is free and undistorted" should be deleted, with simply "an internal market" left in the objective clause.

Sarkozy's demand was satisfied after a consensus was realized that the omission will not change the legal powers of the EU in competition policy.

Source: Xinhua