Stroperige grondwet-onderhandelingen van start (en)

EUOBSERVER / ROME - A meeting in Rome on Saturday (4 October) to discuss the draft EU Constitution made such torturously slow progress that the Italian Presidency had to draw up a new 'methodology' to speed the whole process up.

Things ran late in the morning after 27 countries, the Presidents of the Commission and the Parliament as well as the Italian Presidency all had their say on the treaty blueprint.

With a speaking time of four minutes each, and simply another rendition of all the national no-go areas, the tour de tables of heads of state in the morning was a gruelling affair.

"There is a problem with the method of doing things", a senior French diplomat remarked dryly afterwards.

The whole event ran late meaning that foreign ministers who were supposed to get down to the real hard institutional issues did not even manage to make it to the major topic on the list - the role of the EU foreign minister.

Speaking at a press conference afterwards, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini admitted that it had "got behind" on its timetable leading them to "take another look at some aspects of the method".

Questionnaires

He went on to say that for each foreign minister's meeting, the Presidency would provide a document with specific questions such as "What role should the foreign minister play"?

The summary of what each government thinks will be sent to all other governments - in effect stopping what currently takes place whereby each government stubbornly presents their own position and nobody knows how to bring the discussion further.

Delegates had already filled out questionnaires for this meeting, which "helped to progress the discussion", as Irish foreign minister Brian Cowen remarked.

Mr Frattini also said that at the government leaders meeting scheduled later this month in Brussels, he would present what foreign ministers had agreed on for the heads of state and government to endorse.

At this meeting, after three hours of discussion, it was decided that the majority of countries were against a separate legislative council and that the number of sectoral (specialised) councils should be reduced but not fixed in the Constitution.

The Constitution's proposal for team presidencies of the council was welcomed but there was no agreement on what constituted a team - the Italian Presidency will make a proposal on at the next foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg.

So much to do, so little time

Conscious of the very tight deadline they have given themselves - until mid-December - the Italian Presidency knows it has to put a rein on the discussion.

"If someone tables an amendment they have to explain the amendment", Mr Frattini said. Then the Presidency will ask other member states if they agree with the amendment.

However, Mr Frattini had no solution for the most pressing question facing the IGC - that of Poland's and Spain's demand that their current voting rights, relatively beneficial for their population size, not be changed.

This is a fundamental part of the draft treaty, which the other states are loathe to open.

The issue was not discussed today and Mr Frattini ducked the question of when exactly it would be debated.

This is where the most wheeler dealing will be done as every state is aware that the other has an ace card - the power of veto.

The next IGC discussion will take place on 14 October.