European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said today he had assured Taoiseach Brian Cowen that Ireland will be given time to resolve the problem caused by the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
Mr Barroso said he agreed that "the decision of the Irish people must be respected. We equally agree that the right of other member states to reach their own position on the treaty should also be respected.”
The Commission President said the Taoiseach would “share his analysis” of the referendum outcome at talks over a summit dinner this evening.
“I fully agree with his view that the vote was not against Europe. I made clear that the Commission will fully endorse his request that Ireland be given time to decide how to react and to come forward with proposals on the next steps,” he said.
No firm decisions will be taken at the two-day summit, but Mr Barroso and Mr Cowen agreed today to more talks at another summit in October. That reduces the chances of a solution in time to bring the treaty into force as planned next year to virtually zero.
But Mr Barroso made clear the key was a deal which enables the EU to “move forward together, maintaining unity and equality between all 27 member states”.
“I strongly believe that a problem for Ireland is a problem for Europe. My focus is on finding a solution where everyone’s voice can be heard.”
Asked if guaranteeing Ireland a full-time Commissioner could be a solution, Mr Barroso replied: “I will not speculate on institutional changes. But it would be extremely difficult to get (agreement on) any institutional change regarding the text of the Lisbon treaty. This treaty was negotiated for a long time by 27 member states, including Ireland.”
Mr Cowen made no comment on the issue, but said it had been a “useful” meeting.
Tonight he can expect expressions of solidarity from other EU leaders, despite emerging divisions between countries such as France and Germany which are keen to forge ahead with the treaty even if it means leaving Ireland behind, and a majority including the UK which want to do nothing to risk further alienating Irish voters.
Mr Cowen said that they had had a useful meeting at which they agreed on the need to work together. He again reiterated the Government’s determination to engage in widespread national and international consultations on the result.
Mr Cowen said it was too early to look at specific solutions. He said Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty has to be accepted and respected before a solution to the crisis within the European Union is found.
"It is too early to say what response we will be able to devise, something that will be viable for not just Ireland but for Europe as well, for the European Union," he said.
"It is just seven days since the Irish people spoke. That decision must be accepted and respected and on that basis we can get involved in discussions as to what future orientation we can devise that is viable to everybody. That is my primary purpose here today."
The Taoiseach was also due to meet the German Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel, and the president of the European Parliament, Dr Hans Gerd Poettering, ahead of the leaders’ meeting, which was due to begin at 5pm (4pm Irish time).
The summit is likely to be dominated by the referendum result, although France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is also expected to make a strong case for curbing fuel price increases by capping government VAT receipts.
European leaders are expected to commit to pushing ahead with ratifying the Lisbon Treaty today despite the referendum result.
Mr Cowen is expected to focus on the scale and variety of the issues involved in the Irish No vote, and to explain that a significant amount of time will be required to assess the Government's next steps.
The Taoiseach is accompanied to Brussels by Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin and Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche.
The summit comes after the British House of Lords voted to ratify the treaty following a stormy debate last night.
Several Eurosceptic protesters were ejected from the chamber, with one shouting "the Irish have voted No" before being ushered out.
Mr Cowen has insisted that there is no "quick fix" to the Irish No vote and has ruled out coming to the meeting with a solution on how best to proceed.
But the current holder of the EU presidency, Slovenia, is insisting that a specific timeline should be agreed to deal with what diplomats are calling the "Irish situation".
Paris, Berlin and the European Commission are anxious that Mr Cowen reports back at the next EU summit in October with some concrete ideas on how it can proceed with ratification of the treaty.
Diplomats say that it is necessary to come to a decision well before the European parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for June 2009. However, it is unlikely that any specific options will be floated by EU leaders at today's meeting, which most expect to be conducted in a "spirit of solidarity".
Most states have ruled out renegotiating the treaty.
"One thing is certain - we won't start drafting a new treaty," said French minister for European affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet. "Europe didn't come to a halt on June 13th."
Many EU states are privately hoping that the Government will agree to hold a new referendum in the spring on the treaty if several declarations are added to the treaty, clarifying issues such as tax and abortion.
Additional reporting - Agencies