Good Friday expected for EU constitution

EU leaders and diplomats appear to be confident that a European constitution can be sealed by Friday.

Danish leader Anders Fogh Rasmussen is already looking ahead to ratification and referendums on an EU constitution.

“We have a few unsolved problems, I feel confident we can solve these during this summit,” he said.

“So tomorrow I expect a final treaty text which can be adopted unanimously in the council and then we will start the ratification process.”

European Parliament chief Pat Cox is also optimistic about a deal and moving on after the trauma of collapsed constitution talks last December.

“There has been great preparation, considerable effective work done already and we hope to get closure of it between now and tomorrow evening,” he told journalists.

Speaking on the eve of the summit the Irish EU presidency – widely praised for its handling of negotiations – predicted a Friday finish.

“I would advise national delegations not to waste money on hotel reservations on Friday night,” said a diplomat.

Warsaw – blamed by some national capitals for sinking the last round of constitution talks over EU voting rights – has reacted well to new compromise proposals.

Arriving in Brussels, Polish leader Marek Belka praised a compromise deal as “a move in the right direction".

"We are coming with a good will as far as the voting system is concerned," he said.

"There is a wide range of possibilities, some even better than [the status quo]. We may be able to decide on something."

France too is looking for a Brussels deal. "I think we have a good chance to have the European constitution adopted this weekend," French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin told journalists.

Europe’s leaders gather in Brussels for talks to seal an EU constitution and a dinner date to select a new European Commission president.

The summit kicks off on Thursday afternoon with negotiations on two constitution texts – ‘open’, outstanding, and ‘closed’ issues.

Key institutional questions will dominate discussions – EU voting rights, the size of the commission and the minimum number of European Parliament seats.

Also to be battled out is “a basket of economic governance issues”, heralding a row over the future powers of Brussels to police national budget deficits under the euro’s stability rules.

Another tough talking point will be the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights and a complex legal annex spelling out its interpretation by national or European courts.

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