BRUSSELS, June 16: Leaders of the demoralized European Union moved towards freezing ratification of their troubled constitution on Thursday, but the 25 nations were no closer to a deal on the bloc’s long-term budget.

French President Jacques Chirac insisted as a crisis summit began that the charter was not dead, despite its rejection in a referendum in his own country, and called for an emergency meeting to bridge a gulf between the EU and its citizens.

But diplomats said Mr Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder backed away from their previous insistence that the ratification process must go on. All member states must approve the treaty for it to come into force.

The two-day summit is widely seen as a test of whether the enlarged Union can move forward after “No” votes on the treaty in both France and the Netherlands, or whether political rivalries among weakened leaders will leave it in limbo.

“This is one of the most difficult summits we have ever had,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told reporters after his country, current EU president, proposed putting the constitution on ice for 9-12 months.—Reuters