French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would propose a solution for the European Union's stalled reform treaty in October or December in consultation with Ireland's leaders.

Irish voters rejected the Lisbon treaty, intended to adapt the 27-nation bloc's creaking institutions for further enlargement, in a referendum last month.

"The French presidency will propose a method and, I hope, a solution either in October or in December," Sarkozy told the European Parliament as he set out the goals of France's six-month presidency of the EU.

He added that without reformed institutions, the EU could not enlarge beyond its current 27 members.

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