Brussels, 13/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - After his meeting with Silvio Berlusconi in Rome on Thursday, European Council President Bertie Ahern said "clearly everybody would like to make early progress. That is not feasible unless the key players involved move. And there has to be movement that allows a compromise to be created. That is not there just yet. But people are involved in dialogue and we have a number of crucial meetings over the rest of this month". There will be no progress until the European interest is put before selfish national interests, Silvio Berlusconi repeated, noting that some countries do not agree to lose part of their sovereignty.
It is not in anyone's interest to put off an agreement on the Constitution, Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said in Warsaw, reported by AFP. He went on to add, however, that, if there is no compromise soon, then the project would have to be put aside for some time, as a constitutional treaty is "not necessary to work".
Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso issued another warning against any directorate being formed, "because of the sacred principle of equality" between Member States. "We must find a system that allows balkanisation of the European Union to be avoided", he said according to Reuters.