EU: Ireland's EU presidency has presented a compromise proposal aimed at resolving the most important dispute at the centre of negotiations on a constitutional treaty.
The proposal, introduced hours before the start this afternoon of a two-day summit in Brussels, defines a qualified majority in the Council of Ministers, where national governments meet, as 55 per cent of member-states and representing at least 65 per cent of the EU's population.
In an effort to ensure that the EU's biggest countries cannot block measures without the support of smaller states, the proposal states that a blocking minority should not be possible without the participation of at least four member-states.
The new draft of the treaty proposes that all member-states should nominate a member of the European Commission until 2014. After that, the size of the Commission would be limited to 18, with participation determined on the basis of equal rotation.
Each country would send a minimum of six representatives to the European Parliament but the Parliament would review the distribution of seats in 2009.
The presidency hopes to limit discussion at the summit to these three institutional issues, and a package of measures concerning economic governance within the EU and an explanatory article limiting the scope of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Germany wants to amend an article in the draft treaty that would enhance the status of the Commission's advice to the Council of Ministers on countries that breach the Stability and Growth Pact by running excessive budget deficits. The presidency proposes a compromise under which the identification of an excessive deficit would have enhanced status, but any measures proposed to a member-state running such a deficit would continue to enjoy the lower status of a recommendation.
In a letter to the Taoiseach last night, the Commission president, Mr Romano Prodi, noted that today's summit is taking place in the aftermath of a European election that was marked by an unusually low turnout and by the rise of Eurosceptic political parties in some countries.
"The message is plain and simple: many Europeans feel the Union does not come up to their expectations and so they saw no point in voting. Others think the answer lies in falling back on the nation-state, set against Europe. We must respond to the disenchantment of the former and the illusions of the latter. The answer can only be found by formulating a clear political project that is implemented by effective institutions that can truly take decisions and act," he said.
Mr Prodi said that, politically and symbolically, the constitution represented a major event in the Union's history, but he warned it would only be valuable if it served a political purpose. "We have a duty to show the constitution is there so the Union can really achieve its goals and act for the benefit of the people," he said.
Tomorrow morning, the leaders will take a break from negotiations on the constitutional treaty to discuss the fight against terrorism, the EU's economic agenda and foreign policy issues. They are expected to urge Iran to address concerns about its nuclear programme, the fight against terrorism, human rights and Tehran's approach to the Middle East peace process.
A joint statement will welcome the recent UN Security Council resolution on Iraq and Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza, but will warn that the Israeli withdrawal must be done in a manner that promotes the peace process. Poland sounded a surprisingly upbeat note yesterday on the chances of striking a deal on the constitution. "I expect that at the meeting in Brussels we will come to an agreement about the constitution," Prime Minister Mr Marek Belka said yesterday. Warsaw has warned France and Germany it may still veto a deal unless Poland's influence in the bloc is properly recognised.