EU: European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has signalled that the period of reflection over the future of the EU constitution will stretch well into next year, writes Jamie Smyth in Salzburg
He also warned member states not to open new political wounds over the reform of the EU institutions following last year's vote against the constitution in France and the Netherlands. Instead, Mr Barroso urged member states to tackle concrete problems facing Europe's citizens such as unemployment, energy and social issues.
Mr Barroso was speaking at The Sound of Europe conference in Salzburg at the weekend, which was held to debate the future of Europe and its cultural identity. He also rejected the notion that Europe was in crisis because it had no constitution and said Europeans needed to explore their "obsessive self-criticism".
However, there are still big divisions within the European institutions and member states about whether to try to resurrect the constitution.
Earlier the EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the conference that Europe badly needed the ideas contained within the EU constitution and warned against shelving the document.
He said there was a risk of a "catch 22" situation when people talked about focusing on delivering tangible results before turning to institutional issues.
"I remain convinced that Europe badly needs the ideas contained in the constitution for a more streamlined and effective EU," said Mr Solana, who would probably assume the title of European foreign minister if the constitution was in force. "If you want a Europe that delivers you should want the constitution."
The Irish Government remains a strong supporter of the EU constitution, which safeguards national control over tax policy - a red line issue for the Republic.
However, it is becoming increasingly likely that any future EU decision on whether to try to implement the constitution in full, cherry pick elements of it or reject it altogether, will not be taken until after the French presidential election in 2007.
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said that he would continue the discussion about the future of the EU constitution during the Finnish presidency. But he said in spite of problems with decision making and unemployment, Europe was not in crisis.
He said the EU needed the political will to make decisions to achieve economic growth, enhance the EU's position in the world in foreign policy and security, and increase internal security within the EU. He signalled that these issues would be priorities for Finland when it takes the rotating EU presidency in July.
The structure of the weekend's conference meant that there were no concrete political results from the two days of discussions between politicians, academics and artists. However, Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel said it had provided the opportunity to provide an honest analysis of the current situation in the EU, the question of European identity and culture. Mr Barroso said the meeting highlighted the need to invest more cash in culture and education within the EU.