Chirac vervangt Schröder op Europese Raad (en)

According to a report on Spiegel Online, French President Jacques Chirac will be representing both France and Germany on the second day of the forthcoming EU summit (16-17 October).

Mr Schröder and German foreign minister Joschka Fischer both have to return to Germany on Thursday evening for a crucial parliamentary vote on Mr Schröder's structural reforms.

EU rules state that the two - who are Germany's designated representatives at Summit meetings - may not be replaced by EU officials. Therefore, Mr Schröder is said to have asked Mr Chirac at a summit last Sunday whether he could stand in for him.

German officials will be standing by in case Mr Schröder needs to take an urgent decision by telephone, but France and Germany are likely to have agreed a common position on most issues beforehand.

France and Germany have forged common positions on several EU issues and they hold regular joint meetings at ministerial level.

But as a symbolic gesture, the move is huge and is likely to induce several comments about the ailing Franco-German engine of Europe being back on track.