Europe's leaders gather in Brussels today vowing to bury their differences over the war in Iraq and concentrate on the fight against terrorism in addition to reviving talks on an EU constitution.
The meeting, originally due to assess the EU's economic progress, has been overshadowed by the Madrid train bombings and the increased risk of attacks across Europe.
Efforts to reinvigorate the EU's economic reform prospects and relaunch talks on an EU constitution are taking a backseat as leaders struggle to co-ordinate anti-terrorist measures.
"Suddenly the arguments over qualified majority voting don't seem so important any more," said one EU official.
The European Commission president, Mr Romano Prodi, told an eve-of-summit press conference in Brussels: "The Iraq war has not helped things - but we must make a distinction between our determination to curb terrorism and whether the war was right in the first place."
The summit starts tonight with dinner in Brussels and counter-terrorism as the only agenda item for EU leaders to discuss.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in the EU presidency, has prepared an assessment of the chances - greatly enhanced since a change of government in Spain seems to have lifted Madrid's objections to proposed future EU voting arrangements.
But the Brussels summit will not attempt talks - just give an acknowledgement that talks should restart soon in the hope of streamlining the EU to avoid administrative, bureaucratic and political gridlock when ten more members join on May 1st. The summit will end with a review of economic process.
European Parliament president Mr Pat Cox said: "What the EU must do with determination is act in a resolute way to ensure that there is no safe hiding place for terrorists on our continent. In doing so we should not however take steps which may be more spectacular but have less substance.
"Appointing a counter-terrorism co-ordinator may make sense, if he or she is properly accountable, and could count on a genuine will to co-operate between anti-terrorism services, and has the means to act.
"Let's share more intelligence and find the political will to engage in practical co-operation. Let's root out this cancer of terrorism," Mr Cox said.