Polen en Duitsland bespreken Grondwet (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The foreign ministers of Germany and Poland, the two main countries involved in the failed EU Constitution negotiations, will meet to discuss their differences today (14 January).

Joschka Fischer and Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz will meet in Berlin to see if it is possible to agree on how to rescue the Constitution talks which collapsed in acrimony and recrimination during a meeting of EU leaders last month.

So far, both countries have not been able to bridge the gap on the contested issue of the new voting system which is based on the size of a member states' population.

Germany, which stands to gain the most from the new system, is strongly in favour while Poland, which will lose power, is adamantly against it.

Hopes for agreement ahead of European elections

In an interview recently, Mr Cimoszewicz said that he would like to see an agreement in time for the European Parliament elections.

"It would be a good display of our common political will to reach an agreement even before the European elections in June", he said.

The debate on the Constitution has polarised member states with Germany and France, threatening a two-speed Europe if it does not get its way.

Germany has also indicated in the past that it could use the upcoming debate on how to finance the EU from 2007-2013 - it is the EU's biggest net contributor - to get its way.

But Poland is not ready to give up the fight that easily.

"We are ready for compromises and for seeking mutually acceptable solutions, but we will not give in for the sake of short-term interest or peace of mind," Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller said on television over the weekend.

Both Mr Fischer and Mr Cimoszewicz will meet French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Friday.

The French and German foreign ministers are also due to meet Ireland's Foreign Minister Brian Cowen at the end of this month - Ireland took over the EU Presidency on 1 January and is working hard behind the scenes to try and revive the talks.