THE EU: The European Commission has given a cautious welcome to proposals for economic reform presented in Berlin this week by the leaders of Germany, France and Britain.
Italy's prime minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, however, described the Berlin meeting as a mistake and warned that it would be difficult to find support for the three countries' initiative.
"If, from a meeting like yesterday, they come up with any proposal or decision for the Europe of 25, then these countries should know that our answer is No," he said.
Mr Berlusconi said there was little support for one of the key proposals to emerge in Berlin - the appointment of a powerful "super-commissioner" in charge of economic reform.
A Commission spokesman said that the Berlin proposals echoed the Commission's own ideas, but said that it was up to national governments to take the most important steps towards economic reform.
"We will have to see what the heads of state are prepared to do for Europe, prepared to invest in Europe. It has not always been the case in the past that the results match the words. We will have to see this time," he said.
Over dinner on Wednesday, Mr Gerhard Schröder, Mr Tony Blair and Mr Jacques Chirac agreed to help Ireland's EU presidency to break the deadlock on negotiations towards a constitutional treaty. The three countries have no fundamental disagreement on the most difficult issue - a proposal to change the voting system in the Council of Ministers, the EU forum where national governments meet.
They agreed, however, to hold trilateral talks on other outstanding issues, such as proposals to abolish national vetoes in some policy areas. Britain, along with Ireland, opposes a proposal in the draft constitutional treaty to extend qualified majority voting to a limited number of tax issues. Britain and Ireland are also seeking assurances that abolishing the veto in some areas of justice and home affairs will not threaten the common law system.
The Taoiseach hopes to find agreement before next month's EU summit on many of the 20 unresolved issues he has identified.
If Mr Ahern believes that agreement is also possible on the voting issue, he will seek to reconvene formal negotiations on the constitutional treaty in April.
German officials said on Wednesday night that Berlin now accepts that a proposal to reduce the number of commissioners with full voting rights is "highly unlikely" to survive negotiations on the treaty. They said that, with 25 commissioners representing smaller portfolios, it is essential that a single figure should be responsible for ensuring that Commission initiatives promote economic growth.
The three leaders did not discuss individual candidates for the position of Commission President, and officials said they are unlikely to make a common nomination to succeed Mr Romano Prodi. The next Commission President is expected to be a centre-right politician from a small member-state, but Mr Ahern has stressed that Mr Prodi will not necessarily be succeeded by a former prime minister.
Among those mentioned in connection with the job, Luxembourg's Mr Jean-Claude Juncker has said he is not interested and Austria's Mr Wolfgang Schuessel, who is in government with a far-right party, would be a controversial choice.