Ahern to meet Belgian, German leaders over EU

The Taoiseach will meet his Belgian and German counterparts in separate meetings today to discuss the Convention on the Future…

The Taoiseach will meet his Belgian and German counterparts in separate meetings today to discuss the Convention on the Future of Europe.

He will meet Belgian prime minister Mr Guy Verhofstadt in Brussels today in an effort to establish a common approach to the Convention.

The talks follow an agreement in Luxembourg on Tuesday night by the leaders of seven small EU member-states - Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Portugal and Ireland - to work together to prevent a shift of power in the EU away from the European Commission.

The leaders of the seven countries said they would oppose the creation of a permanent president of the European Council to replace the six-month, rotating EU Presidency.

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The small countries fear a permanent EU president, as proposed by Germany, France, Britain and Spain, could undermine the authority of the Commission.

They argue the rotating presidency helps to bring the EU closer to its citizens and reflects the principle of equality between member-states, regardless of their size.

Mr Ahern will meet the German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroeder, later today to discuss his stance on the Convention.