Merkel calls for compromise in EU treaty talks

BERLIN, June 16 (Reuters) German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged European Union states today to show a willingness to compromise to help reach a consensus on the outlines of a new treaty for the bloc at a summit next week.

Poland's nationalist, eurosceptic ruling Kaczynski twins have threatened to block progress on the charter for reforming EU institutions at the June 21-22 summit if their demands for re-weighting the EU voting system are not taken into account.

Merkel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said she wanted EU leaders to agree on a schedule whereby all member countries would ratify the treaty before elections to the European parliament are held in 2009.

''We will now put forward a proposal for such a schedule. The readiness of all to compromise will be necessary for it to be adopted,'' Merkel said in her weekly podcast.

''If we get to work in this spirit next week, then I hope we will reach an agreement,'' she said.

Merkel was due to meet Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Meseberg, near Berlin, later today.

Poland yesterday held out the possibility it could drop its threat to veto talks on the new charter, intended to replace the one rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005.

Warsaw believes the voting rules contained in the treaty give too much power to big countries -- Germany in particular. Poland's demands are backed only by the Czech Republic.

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