Ierse premier bezoekt Spanje voor compromis over Grondwet (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Irish Prime Minister and current head of the EU Bertie Ahern will meet his Spanish counterpart in Madrid today to see if Spain is prepared to compromise on its hard-line position on the EU Constitution.

"My visit to Madrid today is an important one in the context of my ongoing consultations with EU leaders on the Intergovernmental Conference. I will be very interested to hear Prime Minister [José Maria] Aznar's assessment", said Mr Ahern ahead of the visit.

Spain, along with Poland, has been the biggest opponent to the new voting system proposed in the draft text - it was over this issue that negotiations collapsed last month.

However there may be some signs of movement. Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said during a visit to Dublin last week (22 January) that her country was always prepared to compromise and find a solution to current stalled talks.

Compromise

Madrid objects to the fact that under the new voting system - which relies on a double majority of population (60%) and number of countries (50%) - its power would be reduced in comparison to what it enjoys under the current Nice Treaty.

Mr Ahern is set to tell Mr Aznar and Poland's Leszek Miller, whom he will meet later this week, that they will have to compromise on the Nice Treaty.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr Ahern said, according to the Irish Times, "If people just stick totally with Nice and don't move at all, you can't do that because it's not going to be satisfactory to Germany [the country with the largest population in the EU and most in favour of the new system]".

"I have to try and get movement from those who need to move and at the same time not try to put it in a way that forces them beyond a position they can explain to their own people and their own parliaments", continued the Irish Prime Minister.

Brussels

Meanwhile in Brussels, EU Foreign Ministers will today gather for the first time since the collapse of the talks to sound out their positions.

The Irish Presidency is keen to play down the significance of the meeting, where no formal agreements are expected.

"There will be no papers and I do not intend to draw any conclusions. But it will be an important signal that the work continues" said Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen last week.

Today's meeting will give a good indication of the general political climate and will help shape Ireland's report to EU leaders on the matter at the Spring Summit in March.