Poland, which blocked the adoption of a European Union constitution in December, wants to break the impasse by mid-year, government officials said yesterday.
Foreign Minister Mr Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz plans to discuss ways to end the dispute over the constitution, which led to the collapse of an EU summit in December, in talks with his German counterpart, Mr Joshka Fischer in Berlin today.
The two ministers will then meet on Friday with French Foreign Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin to try to settle the row, which pitted Poland and Spain against France and Germany.
"The meetings are steps to revive the dialogue over the constitution. We would like to take the issue off the negotiating table before the European elections," said foreign ministry spokesman Mr Boguslaw Majewski.
He did not explain why the elections in June were the target but diplomats say talks on the EU's next seven-year budget will gain momentum in the second half of the year. Some government officials are worried that Germany, the EU's biggest paymaster, could seek to trim the bloc's aid for Poland during the negotiations on the budget, for the years 2007-2013.
It may also be easier for Poland to reach a compromise before the Netherlands, which may be tougher on Warsaw, takes over the rotating EU presidency from Ireland in July for six months, diplomats say.
Poland and Spain opposed a key provision of the constitution draft that would change EU voting arrangements to reflect population size of member-states, a move diminishing their clout in the bloc which expands in May from 15 to 25 members.
Poland, the biggest EU newcomer, is increasingly concerned that its position on the constitution could harm it politically and economically, a Polish diplomat said. Prime Minister Mr Leszek Miller signalled last week that Poland would be more willing to compromise, although the diplomat cautioned that the country would not simply surrender to German demands.
"We are ready for compromises and for seeking mutually acceptable solutions, but we will not give in for the sake of short-term interest or peace of mind," Mr Miller said in a television address over the weekend.
Some Warsaw diplomats fret that unless the dispute is swiftly resolved, France, Germany and other members could press ahead with a "two-speed" EU.