Europese Unie likt wonden na mislukte top (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Member states are still trying to come to terms with the repercussions of the failed Constitutional talks last weekend as the issue of core Europe, future Constitution negotiations and discussions over EU money are becoming entangled.

EU governments appear to be trying to reassemble alliances as the dust settles after the summit.

While France and Germany have indicated they will take the lead to form a core Europe, they have been abandoned by some of the other founding members of the EU (the other four are the Benelux countries and Italy) - generally supposed to have a more or less common vision on these issues.

Today's Financial Times quotes Dutch diplomats saying they are not prepared to support Berlin and Paris in their push for faster European integration.

Luxembourg, previously a supporter of an avant-garde Europe has also been reticent on the matter.

Speaking after the failed summit, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said that a core Europe would just result in continued disagreements.

Reflecting this point, the leader of the EPP group in the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering said, "there is talk about a core Europe. This is not a solution. We must go together and find a common road into the future of Europe".

He argued that the 12 countries who have agreed to deeper economic union by joining the euro zone do not agree on other issues such as defence and the environment.

Meanwhile the European Commission has also acknowledged the uneasy state that Europe finds itself in.

Speaking before the European Parliament yesterday (16 December), Commission President Romano Prodi said "Some are thinking about a vanguard of pioneering states breaking new ground in terms of greater co-operation and paving the way for a stronger and more closely integrated EU".

"Today we are at one of those dramatic moments. We need to muster our courage and give it thought".

Money recriminations

And now money considerations have been thrown into the mix. On this issue, the Dutch sided with France and Germany - as well as Austria, Sweden and the UK - in sending a letter to the European Commission demanding that EU spending should be capped from 2007 onwards.

Most affected by such a move would be Poland and Spain whose position on the Constitution contributed to the collapse of the talks on Saturday (13 December).

Several experts believe that deliberations on the future shape of the EU and how much net contributers are prepared to pay into it are going to become entwined in one another.

Mr Prodi said that there "is a risk of the processes becoming intermingled".

European Parliament President Pat Cox spoke of the "risk of a conflation" of the Constitution and budget which would produce a very heady and difficult mixture.

"We should not split Europe into a first division and a second division. It would be a serious mistake", warned Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is seeing out his last few days at the helm of the EU.

"Because this way we would cool the enthusiasm, the passion for Europe that I have seen in the 10 countries that are preparing to join the EU".