Rome - France should set an example by giving up its right to veto EU rulings and so lead the bloc into a new era, Mr Romano Prodi, the European Commission president, said yesterday.
"No one is going to give any ground on the veto question until someone else does. It should be France, which holds the presidency at the moment, to set the example," Mr Prodi said in an interview with Italy's La Stampa newspaper.
EU leaders are due to tackle key issues including voting procedures when they meet in Nice on December 7th-9th, the last summit before France hands the rotating presidency to Sweden.