European Union leaders voiced doubts today about whether the 27-nation bloc will be able to agree this week on a mandate for a new treaty reforming EU institutions.
Current European Union president Germany was to unveil its draft mandate later today aimed at launching negotiations on a slimmed-down treaty to replace the EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
"Currently there is no proposal on the table that we know will go through, but we have a couple of days to make that happen," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said after a meeting of Nordic leaders in Punkaharju, eastern Finland.
The Nordic prime ministers said they believed an agreement was possible at the summit to be chaired by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday and Friday, provided countries did not reopen the issue of the balance between big and small countries.
But Poland is sticking doggedly to its demand to change the reformed voting system which it says gives too much power to big countries, especially Germany, at Warsaw's expense.
Hungary said it would be no tragedy if the summit failed. "We know the EU can operate as it is today," Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz was quoted as saying.
"If very big compromises are needed, then it is better if there is no agreement now and the union gives itself more time."