EU leaders knock heads on future of Europe

LIKE journalists, politicians work best when faced with a deadline. The government leaders of the EU member states are no different. Today they will spend two hours debating some of the most important issues facing Europe.

There is just over a month to go before the convention must report back with its blueprint for the future of the EU. The nitty gritty of exactly what the EU should be doing has taken up most of the past year for the 105-plus member convention.

Those who believe in doing things in a logical order know this is not the way to get the best possible constitution to govern the EU.

However, logic is not always the best way of solving political problems. So these vital questions of who has power and how they can use it have been left until last by the old French warhorse, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who presides over the convention.

He will give an outline of his vision for the union to the EU leaders when they gather in Athens. As is his style, his address has not been seen in advance by his 14-member presidium.

However, the contentious questions are now well known and each government leader knows exactly his position. The small countries insist the commission must continue to keep its power of initiating legislation and so act as a referee between big and small.

A recent Swedish report shows this is where smaller members have the best chance to influence the law at an early stage by being involved in informal expert groups and committees.

The bigger countries France, Germany, Spain, Britain, Italy would like a more powerful council. This body is made up of ministers from the member states and size matters. The key to deciding which is more powerful the commission or the council is which body will have the EU president.

! There is one person heading the commission Romano Prodi and the president of the council rotates among the member states with the prime minister acting as Mr EU for six months at a time.

The squabbling will now centre on this issue and on the details of how a president is elected and whether there should be a separate foreign minister for Europe. In the end the politicians will do what politicians are good at and reach compromises.

Former Taoiseach and presidium member John Bruton hopes when the convention produces its final document in June, citizens and their leaders will have enough time to get used to the compromises.