EU: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said amendments to the EU constitution could be made to gain the approval of France and The Netherlands on a new institutional settlement for Europe.
However, he stressed that EU leaders should look to the substance and balance of the constitutional treaty when they begin a debate next year on the way forward.
In a speech on the future of Europe yesterday at the European Parliament, Mr Ahern said additional elements could be added to the constitution to address the concerns that have arisen in states that have rejected the treaty in a referendum. These additions could enrich the treaty rather than undermine its substance and balance.
Before now Mr Ahern strongly supported retaining the text of the constitution. But with political opposition in France and The Netherlands to putting the same text up for a second referendum, Mr Ahern acknowledged that changes would have to be made.
"To give some examples, it could be brought out more clearly that what is involved is a treaty and that, in many respects, it essentially amends rather than replaces the existing treaties," said Mr Ahern, who warned about cherry-picking elements of the constitution for implementation ahead of a wider institutional settlement.
Mr Ahern also said that the EU should remain open to future enlargement, although he said he was not surprised that Turkey's EU accession talks may be partially suspended over its failure to open its ports to Cyprus.
Mr Ahern also welcomed the introduction of Irish as an official EU language on January 1st and pledged to overcome a problem related to the shortage of qualified interpreters. "I pulled every stroke in the book in the campaign to get Irish as an official language," he said.
Mr Ahern's speech was warmly received by most MEPs in the parliament.