European Union leaders resumed talks this morning on the future of the bloc as it prepares for its biggest ever expansion, hoping to avoid an unseemly row over institutions and personalities.
EU leaders aim to wrap up their two-day summit with a declaration hinting at ways to make the 15-nation bloc more democratic and open to a sceptical public as it admits up to a dozen new members.
Debate on the contents of the declaration began at a dinner last night where opinions remained divided, diplomats said. "The problem is that it's (Belgian Prime Minister Guy) Verhofstadt's baby, he has written it himself. He does not accept any amendments," one minister said.
Draft conclusions to the summit said nothing about who would head a political Convention being set up to reflect on the bloc's future, nor about the location of at least seven new agencies being set up to tackle everything from police training to maritime disasters.
Past efforts by EU leaders to agree on sites for the bloc's institutions and the names of the individuals who head them have been marred by unseemly horse-trading and diplomats forecast a repeat performance today.