French president Jacques Chirac and Germany's chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called on Europe's leaders to press on with the beleaguered EU Constitution.
At talks last night in Berlin the two leaders agreed that ratification of the treaty should continue, despite its emphatic rejection by French and Dutch voters.
"The chancellor and the president agreed that the constitutional process must continue," said Mr Schroeder's spokesman. He added that the two leaders had agreed that "particularly in the current phase we cannot leave Europe in the lurch".
However, with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw set to announce tomorrow that Britain is suspending indefinitely its plans for a referendum, many observers believe the treaty - which must be ratified by all 25 member states - is now dead.
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso yesterday urged EU leaders not to descend into a "blame game" over the French and Dutch "no" votes. Speaking in Messina, Sicily, on the 50th anniversary of the six-nation conference there which launched the original Common Market, he repeated his call for a "period of reflection".
"I must underline clearly that ratification is above all a matter for the member states," he said. "What I think is crucial is that, whatever they do, they react together and that they avoid unilateral decisions - I am convinced a consensus is achievable."
Nevertheless, the indications are that EU leaders will struggle to achieve unity ahead of a crucial summit in Brussels on June 16th. Last night's meeting in Berlin between Mr Chirac and Mr Schroeder - whose countries have for so long been the driving force in the European "project" was being seen as an attempt by two damaged leaders to reassert themselves.