25/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - As the European Council of June draws closer, bilateral consultation between European leaders is intensifying. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair received his Belgian counterpart, Guy Verhofstadt, in London. The two men agreed on the need to reach an agreement during the June summit on “key elements” of the future treaty, but Mr Verhofstadt was also adamant about the need to respect the 18 countries that have already ratified the Constitutional Treaty (one of which was Belgium). Romano Prodi, Italy's head of government, announced on Tuesday when speaking at the EP that he would refuse a “cheap compromise”, and that he would be in Paris on Monday to discuss matters with President Nicolas Sarkozy. The prime minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende, will be in Madrid on 30 May to meet with his Spanish counterpart, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. (hb)