BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 21, SPA -- Leaders of the European Union's 27 nations gathered for a crucial summit to discuss a new EU treaty Thursday, two years after French and Dutch voters rejected a draft EU constitution. Negotiations are expected to be tough -- and politically sensitive -- with Poland and Britain standing firm in their opposition to parts of the proposed treaty, the Associated Press reported. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit host, urged agreement, saying Europe needs guidelines laying out how to govern the European Union so that Europe can deal with the challenges of pressing issues such as climate change and globalization. "The European public now expects us to put the necessary reforms of the union in hand," Merkel said in a letter to leaders. "The time has now come to set out the roadmap for the impending reform of the treaties."--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/460916