BERLIN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday that Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency, would seek a "new working basis" to revive the EU constitution during the 50th anniversary of the European Union over the weekend.

    "The 27-member union needs a new working ground," Steinmeier told the German parliament members.

    The EU leaders, who will meet in Berlin on Sunday, are expected to sign a Berlin Declaration that sets out the EU history and outlines its future goals.

    Even though the declaration may not mention the word "constitution," there might be an allusion to the need to revive it, German news agency dpa quoted its sources as saying.

    The constitution is virtually dead after two of the EU founding fathers, France and the Netherlands, rejected the draft treaty in separate referendums.

    Chancellor Angela Merkel, expected to present a roadmap for the revival of the constitution by the end of Germany's EU presidency, had hoped for a strong push for the constitution during the upcoming summit in Berlin.

    The ambitious plan has recently been played down due to the differences among the EU members. ¡¡