Taoiseach Brian Cowen said tonight he is “hopeful” that a compromise solution can be found to salvage the Lisbon Treaty.
“I am hopeful we can identify elements of an acceptable way forward for our European partners, but one that takes into account the grounds why the Irish people rejected the treaty,” Mr Cowen said at a news conference in Berlin today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Ms Merkel, who received the Charlemagne Prize in May for her role in promoting the treaty during Germany’s presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007, said she is ready to work “very closely” with Ireland to help “find a solution”.
Mr Cowen was in Berlin as part of a tour of European capitals ahead of a crucial European Council meeting on December 11th, when political leaders will discuss ways forward for the treaty after Ireland’s rejection in a referendum in June.
All member countries bar Ireland and the Czech Republic have approved the reform treaty which requires all members to do so.
Earlier today Mr Cowen met the prime minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker in the first of his series of meetings.
Tomorrow, Mr Cowen will travel to London for a meeting with British prime minister Gordon Brown, at Downing Street.
The week's round of meetings will finish on Friday when Mr Cowen travels to Paris to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy, who holds the presidency of the EU.
A Government statement said Mr Cowen's discussions with his European Council counterparts would focus on the situation in relation to the Lisbon Treaty ahead of next week's European Council meeting. It added that other EU issues, notably the climate change and energy package and the international financial crisis, are also likely to feature.
It is believed that the Irish response to Lisbon will centre on a commitment to hold another referendum on the treaty in autumn of next year if there is a commitment that all EU states will be allowed to retain a commissioner.
Mr Cowen visited Finland and Sweden last week to brief their prime ministers on the Irish strategy. It will also hinge on agreement from the other 26 states to accept a number of binding declarations to the treaty to deal with Irish concerns about neutrality, abortion, tax and defence.
In the Dáil yesterday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny pressed the Taoiseach for a debate in advance of next week's meeting of the European Council in Brussels which takes place on Thursday and Friday.
Mr Cowen agreed that the whips should arrange such a debate for Tuesday.