British Labour MP Ms Gisela Stuart has warned that there is a danger of the European constitution being rejected if it is rushed through before the end of the Irish EU presidency.
Speaking during a two-day debate on the European constitution, hosted by Galway Chamber of Commerce, Ms Stuart, a House of Commons representative on the European Convention, said that it was "more important to get this right than to get agreement".
While she supported the concept of a European constitution, she believed that the priority for the EU was to consolidate its bureaucracy and institutions.
Ms Stuart caused some turmoil within the British government last year when she said that the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, should not sign the proposed EU constitution as currently drafted.
The German-born British MP's stance was in conflict with her party leader's presentation of the European constitution as a "tidying-up exercise" which would not change the relationship between Britain and Europe.
A former minister, Ms Stuart described the draft constitution as being "riddled with imperfections" and "moulded by a largely unaccountable political elite". She also said that anti-Americanism remained "one of the less edifying driving forces in the process of European integration".
The EU was at a "mid-life crisis", in her view, and it was too easy to "scapegoat" certain member-states, such as Britain, when valid criticisms of the constitution were made.
The Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, told the conference he was "absolutely confident" that the European constitution would be "good for Ireland, good for Europe and good for the wider world".
The gathering was also addressed by former US Vice-President Al Gore, who refused to allow full media access to his address and declined to provide a script or take press questions.