Cruciale topconferentie over Europese Grondwet van start (en)

EUOBSERVER/ BRUSSELS - Just six short months after talks spectacularly collapsed on the European Constitution, EU leaders are meeting again in Brussels today to see if they can nail the discussions this time around.

The most contentious issue remains the same: the balance of power in a future Europe reflected in the exact make-up of the EU institutions.

After months of painstaking negotiation, the Irish EU Presidency felt confident enough on Wednesday to publish some solutions on the new voting system, on the composition of the Commission and the number of seats in the European Parliament.

Agreement also appears to have been reached on several other controversial areas in justice and home affairs, social security issues and the common foreign and security policy.

And some are confident that the summit will see agreement reached this time around.

Klaus Hänsch, one of the European Parliament's representatives at the negotation said on Wednesday, "The day after tomorrow we're going to get a result".

Difficult eurozone rules

However, some difficult issues still remain on the table. These include a "basket of economic governance issues", as one senior Irish diplomat put it, and the UK's nemesis, the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

A strong bastion of member states want to reduce the European Commission's power over the rules governing the euro - something rejected angrily by the Brussels executive.

"I have very serious concerns that four member states are proposing that we should dilute the already low level of economic governance in the Union", said Commission President Romano Prodi on Wednesday (16 June).

"Only the commission has the necessary neutrality, and the political and moral force, to make proposals that are in the general interest of the Union", he added.

On the Charter, the UK is fighting hard for legal certainty on how to interpret its implementation - something which has pitted it against Germany.

And if there is agreement?

If there is agreement, the Constitution will not go into place until at least 2006 or 2007 assuming it passes the very hefty hurdle of national ratification procedures.

The biggest institutional changes include a new EU foreign minister post, a permanent chair of the European Council and increased powers for the European Parliament.