Denis Staunton
in Strasbourg and
Frank Milar
in London
THE French prime minister, Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin, has said an early conclusion of negotiations on the EU's constitutional treaty was desirable and predicted that "pioneer groups" of countries will form if the talks fail.
Writing yesterday in the Financial Times and in the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Mr Raffarin said France remains convinced that Europe needs a constitution.
"But although the constitution is of historic importance, it need not be finalised in weeks. We believe agreement is possible; we are working on it; and we are counting on the Irish presidency to build on the progress made by Italy. If our hopes are not realised, the countries that aspire to this constitution will act together to convince the others," he said.
Mr Raffarin said that such groups would act within the EU treaties and suggested that there could be different alliances for different policy areas.
"The pioneer groups will build the future, while respecting the acquis communitaire. The genuinely substantive German-French relationship can act as a beacon for those wishing to strengthen co-operation: with the UK in defence, with Poland in promoting the "Weimar Triangle", and with the euro group in finding a better way to link stability and growth within the pact," he said.
Mr Raffarin's remarks came a day after the Taoiseach told the European Parliament that he would seek to complete negotiations on the constitutional treaty before the summer if an agreement appeared possible.
The German government announced yesterday that the leaders of France, Germany and Britain would meet in Berlin on February 18th to devise a common strategy for an EU summit in March that will determine the future of the constitutional talks.
British foreign secretary Mr Jack Straw told French newspaper Le Figaro this week that Britain wants to become part of the Franco-German "motor" that has been at the heart of the EU since its foundation.
"Associating the UK with the Franco-German motor seems logical, as Europe passes from 15 to 25 members," he said.
The British prime minister, Mr Tony Blair, insisted yesterday he believed that a private deal with the Italian prime minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, to keep the national veto on foreign policy, defence and tax issues, remained valid - the Taoiseach said this week that no such deal was agreed by EU leaders and the issues Mr Blair regards as his "red lines" remain to be negotiated.
"Our position remains the same and I would be quite surprised if the broad understanding that we had before was overturned. But the Irish presidency is absolutely right. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed ... I wouldn't expect them to say anything different from that," Mr Blair said.
In a press briefing at Westminster yesterday Mr Blair that "the biggest task" facing the EU was "how we make Europe genuinely more relevant to the citizens of Europe".
He was pressed over European divisions over Iraq, the failure to agree a constitution, French and German "flouting" of budget limits, and talk of a two-speed Europe - and he was asked whether European integration had run out of steam.
Mr Blair replied: "I don't think the process of European co-operation has run out of steam at all, because Europe is expanding to 25 and there is still an awful lot that Europe can do, and you just had recently agreements reached on EU defence that are very important."
However he acknowledged "there are tricky issues to resolve in respect of the constitution".
Mr Raffarin gave no sign that France was ready to compromise over the plan to change the way member-states vote in the Council of Ministers.
He praised the draft constitution drawn up by the Convention on the Future of Europe, singling out the proposal for a new voting system.
"I am strongly committed to 'double majority' voting, on the bases of 50 per cent of states and 60 per cent of citizens," he said.