The President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, yesterday, on the eve of the Nice EU summit, backed Ireland's defence of its right to a commissioner.
In an interview with The Irish Times, Mr Prodi said that for many countries, especially those acceding to the EU, "a commissioner is the symbol of belonging to Europe. In this historical phase it is difficult to conceive any country, from Germany to Luxembourg, without a commissioner."
The issue is likely to be one of the most hotly contested at the summit which starts tomorrow and whose schedule has now been extended by a day by the French presidency. The meeting "may if necessary continue until Sunday afternoon to give us the time to complete our negotiations in the best possible conditions", President Chirac said in a letter to heads of government.
But Mr Prodi has given the summit only a 50-50 chance of succeeding in addressing fully the range of changes needed ahead of the next wave of enlargement. France has said it would prefer failure to a half-baked agreement.
Its difficulties inside the summit are likely to be compounded by the tens of thousands of demonstrators, a mix of trade unions and anti-globalisation activists, expected outside.
Briefing journalists in Dublin yesterday on the summit, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, reiterated Ireland's determination not to be swayed into supporting majority voting on taxation. It was not seen as an issue "on which we can compromise", he said, while taking a political swipe at "some larger states with more regulated economies with higher taxes" which were pushing the idea.
Mr Prodi appealed to Ireland to think again on the issue, insisting that all that is at stake "are really simply technical adaptations necessary to make the single market work".
He insisted that the Commission was acting in good faith and had no long-term hidden agenda. "I've been very careful not to propose any changes on personal taxation or corporate taxation," he said.
He also good-humouredly assailed the debate in Ireland launched by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, over whether we should face "Boston or Berlin". Pointing to what he saw as a failure to acknowledge Europe's role in the economic "revolution" of the last 20 years, he spoke of a "miracle" that brought Irish per capita income above that in the UK. "Is that not something for Irish history?"
In comments on the euro, Mr Prodi, said the perceived weakeness of the currency did not reflect its real success as a means of curbing inflation, unemployment and budget deficits inside Europe.