The Minister of State for Europe,Mr Dick Roche,has said he is confident that governments can finalise agreement on an EU constitution at the Brussels summit this weekend.
Mr Roche declined to say whether the Government would refuse to support a treaty that removed the national veto on taxation measures,or whether withdrawal of the veto would amount to a failure on the part of the Government.
The issue is highly sensitive for the Government because any move away from unanimous voting on taxation in the EU could threaten its low rate of corporation tax.
The Taoiseach,Mr Ahern,acknowledged that it faced "difficulties " in its efforts to protect the veto. At a briefing in Dublin yesterday before he left for Brussels,Mr Roche said the Government had been absolutely
upfront in its insistence that the veto should be retained.
"I actually believe at the end of the day that there will be unanimity,"he said.
The Government would support efforts to include a reference to Europe 's Christian heritage in the preamble of the Constitution.Yet he acknowledged that many EU government were opposed to such a reference.
Mr Roche said the Government was satisfied with the likely outcome of the proposals concerning defence,justice
and home affairs.
He expressed confidence that the EU governments would reach agreement on weighting of votes in the Council of Ministers.The German stance on the distribution of power is being strongly opposed by Spain and Poland.