The leaders of Germany and France were meeting in Rambouillet, outside Paris, last night amid growing signs that the two countries are planning a joint initiative to allow some EU member-states to forge ahead with closer political integration.
The Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, for what advisers to the French President, Mr Jacques Chirac, were describing as "a brainstorming session".
Both sides are eager to dispel the impression that the Franco-German relationship, which has long been regarded as the engine of European integration, has stalled in recent months.
Mr Fischer last week outlined his vision of a federal Europe with an elected president and a two-chamber parliament that would share sovereignty with nation-states. As a first step towards this goal, he called for a core of EU states, led by France and Germany, to be allowed to press ahead towards political union.
The speech, which was prepared in consultation with the French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine, was warmly received in Paris, and Mr Schroder was expected to tell his hosts last night that he, too, shares Mr Fischer's "personal vision".
Paris is reluctant to embrace too ambitious an initiative in advance of its six-month EU presidency, which begins on July 1st and is charged with finding agreement between the 15 EU states on a new treaty. Berlin hopes to push through a measure that will allow a group of states to form an advance guard for closer integration without the unanimous approval of all other states.
Irish officials maintain that the Government is not antagonistic to proposals for greater flexibility in the EU, but Dublin is wary of any measure that might affect the unity of the single market. On the other hand, Ireland would not wish to be left behind in a two-speed Europe and would probably join a dynamic core if it is formed.
Mr Schroder, a cigar-puffing bon vivant with an easy, personal style, has had a prickly relationship with France's more formal, ascetic Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin. But the Chancellor has a good rapport with Mr Chirac, and the two foreign ministries have been working together closely on EU reform plans.
One reason for the recent improvement in relations between Berlin and Paris is Mr Schroder's apparent abandonment of his flirtation with London and Mr Tony Blair's "Third Way".
German officials have concluded that there is no point in waiting for Britain to join the euro before pressing ahead with further integration, and Berlin has found itself closer to Paris on a growing number of issues, including a number of high-profile disputes with the US.
Last night's meeting was the first of three Franco-German summits before the start of the French EU presidency.
It came as an opinion poll showed that, if an election was held tomorrow, Mr Schroder's coalition of Social Democrats and Greens would lose its overall majority in the Bundestag.