Polen dreigt met veto op nieuwe Grondwet (en)

Poland is threatening to torpedo a deal on the EU's first constitution if it does not get its way on the voting system.

The Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski said yesterday that if the weight of its votes is reduced his country would veto the deal which has been almost two years in the making.

"If the position is what is in the treaty, without the chance for compromise, we cannot say yes", he told the BBC.

The Polish foreign minister yesterday echoed this sentiment saying that his country had little room for manoeuvre on the matter, according to the FT.

Both warnings come on the eve of talks meant to wrap up the EU's first Constitution, a signal that in spite of fierce pressure, Poland is not ready to back down yet.

But Poland's hard line may cost it dear as Germany, in particular, becomes more impatient for a deal.

Berlin is threatening to cut regional aid to Poland and Spain - who also back the current voting system - if the two countries do not lift their objections to the text.

Under the current voting system, devised at Nice in 2000, both Spain and Poland have power in the Council which is disproportionate to the size of its populations.

However, a deal may be in the offing, various compromises are on the table including the possibility of keeping the Nice Treaty system in place for up to a decade or more.

And there may yet be a secret weapon, with the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi indicating that he may have a solution.

"I have a formula up my sleeve that could work. It gives Poland and Spain recognition as big countries. I'll pull it out at the last minute and see whether they accept it", he said according to Ansa.