ITALY: Italy's prime minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, has claimed to have found a compromise that will enable Spain and Poland to accept new voting arrangements in the EU's constitutional treaty.
Mr Berlusconi said he would not present the proposal until "the last minute" when EU leaders meet in Brussels tomorrow for a two-day summit, but said he was confident of success.
"I have in my pocket a formula which I believe gives Poland and Spain recognition as great countries. I will pull it out at the last minute and we will see if it will be accepted by these two countries. I am very hopeful about the outcome of this marathon effort, but I am also conscious of the difficulties that lie ahead," he said.
Madrid and Warsaw are resisting a proposal to replace the system of weighted votes in the Council of Ministers with a "double majority" that would allow a measure to be passed with the support of a majority of member-states and representing 60 per cent of EU citizens. The issue is expected to be among the most difficult to resolve during the weekend talks, with Germany and France insisting that a new voting system is essential for a Union of 25 states.
The Taoiseach is seeking to form an alliance of EU neutral and non-aligned states in advance of tomorrow's European Council meeting to give voice to their view on security and defence matters.
The Government said yesterday that the latest proposal on defence in the new draft text of the proposed EU Constitution meets its concerns.
Mr Ahern is to make contact with his counterparts in the five other neutral and non-aligned states among present and accession EU members to seek to give a coherent voice to their position.
The original draft constitution included a mutual defence clause stating that EU member-states must come to the defence of another if it is attacked.
However, the latest draft, produced on Tuesday by the Italian EU Presidency, states that this will not affect "the specific character of the security and defence policy of some member-states".
A Government spokeswoman said yesterday that if accepted, this will mean that the other EU members "recognise that there is no automatic mutual defence commitment. In the event of a member-state coming under attack, we can decide our own response, consistent with our constitution and legal arrangements."
She said the Taoiseach was going to continue to work with the other neutral and non-aligned states to try to form an alliance in advance of the weekend summit.
Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Austria are the current EU neutrals and non-aligned states, and they will be joined on May 1st by Malta and Cyprus.
Mr Ahern's move is understood to be designed to ensure that after May when the EU will have 25 members, the non-aligned voice will be heard in a Union containing 19 NATO members or near members.
It is also designed to assure Irish people that the Government is not signing up to EU defence commitments that run contrary to the Constitution.
The Commission yesterday criticised some of the Italian compromise proposals, including a move to allow countries such as Ireland to refer some questions regarding harmonisation of criminal law to EU leaders for a decision by unanimity.
"It is something we find very difficult to understand. We don't believe Heads of State and Government should be the final appeal on something that was decided in a ministerial Council," a spokesman said.