Barroso to meet Taoiseach in Dublin

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is due to meet the Taoiseach in Dublin today before addressing the Forum on Europe.

The meeting comes just two weeks after the leaders of the member states agreed to shelve the proposed EU constitution following its rejection by France and the Netherlands.

Some EU heads of state are insisting that the project can still be rescued but others have insisted the constitution is dead in its current form as it needs the support of all member states before it can take effect.

Mr Barroso is expected to tell the Forum on Europe that its format will be used throughout the EU in an effort to convince voters to back the constitution.

The forum was established to promote debate about the EU after Ireland’s rejection of the Nice Treaty.