The first three months of Ireland's sixth EU presidency ended on a high note yesterday in Brussels. The Spring European Council agreed to reopen negotiations on the constitutional treaty, which collapsed last December.
The detailed groundwork carried out by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in January and February, paid off when circumstances changed to find the political will to conclude negotiations by June 17th. This has been widely praised, and deservedly so. The political earthquake in Spain after the Madrid bombings changed the political contours of European politics. That shows up clearly in this summit's decision on how to combat terrorism. It remains to be seen whether it will succeed in encouraging economic reform, the summit's third main agenda item.
A great deal hangs on the success of the negotiations on the constitutional treaty. Failure to agree by the June deadline would be a severe setback for the EU's credibility just as it enlarges to 25 member-states. Its political capacity in most other spheres would be deeply affected. That is why Mr Ahern, a naturally cautious politician, put so much effort into ensuring there was unanimous political will to reopen the talks and to set a deadline for them to conclude. The new Spanish government's support for the dual majority voting system was the key factor in convincing other leaders to proceed, as Poland, France and Germany agreed a solution can now be found.
It will not be an easy task but it is surely achievable within the next three months. Aside from the issue of the voting system, agreement is needed on the size of the European Commission, whether majority voting should apply to criminal law and judicial co-operation issues and to tax policy, as well as some 15 other less important issues. Regrettably it seems unlikely agreement will be reached before the European Parliament elections on June 11th and 12th, because some leaders fear treaty compromises will affect their parties' chances. But the constitutional treaty will figure in the campaign - and has then to be ratified by parliaments or referendums.
The Declaration on Terrorism adopted in Brussels signifies a renewed political will to tackle the problem co-operatively and comprehensively. It touches on all the factors involved and makes commitment to speed up existing programmes and add new ones. The appointment of an EU co-ordinator for counterterrorism should facilitate this work, as will the June deadline to deliver on six key objectives.
The Lisbon agenda of economic reform in the EU has been a clear priority of Ireland's presidency. It was overshadowed at this summit but is just as important as the treaty and terrorism for EU citizens, whose employment prospects depend on more growth and productivity. This summit has given the reform process some extra impetus, notably by taking competitiveness seriously and seeking to balance it with social rights. But the Lisbon agenda depends on national action and implementation which remain problematic among the member-states.