EU: Most European Union leaders want to continue the process of ratifying the EU constitution despite its rejection in France and the Netherlands, according to the EU presidency.
A spokesman for Luxembourg's prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, told The Irish Times that "the vast majority" of EU leaders wanted ratification to carry on.
"We believe we should give all 25 member states a chance to have their say," the spokesman said.
As the mood of crisis in Europe deepened, the Taoiseach met Mr Juncker in Luxembourg for two hours yesterday but neither leader was willing to disclose the content of their discussions.
French president Jacques Chirac and Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, will discuss the constitution's future over dinner in Berlin tomorrow evening. According to some reports, Mr Schröder abandoned an attempt to organise a meeting of the EU's six founding member states after Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende said he would not attend.
Mr Balkenende told the Dutch parliament yesterday that Europe should listen to the concerns that drove Dutch voters to reject the constitution.
"Worries about sovereignty, the fear that enlargement is going too fast without the participation of the citizens as well as financial aspects are an important signal that we must make heard in Europe," he said.
EU leaders will decide what to do about the constitution following this week's No votes when they meet in Brussels on June 16th.
Commission president José Manuel Barroso warned political leaders against making any hasty judgments about the constitution before then.
"We're in a period of reflection. A great virtue in politics is prudence. If there is a problem, we have to look at it collectively," he said.
The commission insisted yesterday that the EU would continue to function properly despite the confusion surrounding the constitution's future.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that, despite the fears about EU expansion expressed in France and the Netherlands, enlargement would continue, starting with Romania and Bulgaria in 2007.
"Rumours of the death of EU enlargement policy are evidently exaggerated. I have not yet registered as unemployed or closed the shop," he said.
Budget Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite said that EU leaders should intensify their efforts to reach a deal on the EU's next seven-year budget at this month's summit.
"We need a deal more than ever. Europe cannot be put on hold," she said.
Mr Juncker said this week that he remained determined to push for a budget deal at the summit, despite the crisis over the constitution and Mr Schröder's decision to seek early elections in Germany.
After a meeting with Mr Juncker in Luxembourg yesterday evening, Mr Schröder signalled for the first time that Germany could show flexibility over its demand that the EU budget should be capped at 1 per cent of the EU's gross national income.
"Germany is prepared to move. Germany is prepared to make a contribution within the confines of its material resources. But we also expect this from the other countries," he said.