Brussels, 20/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - “Cautiously optimistic” about the outcome of the summit, Maroš Šefèoviè, the Slovakian representative to the EU, is hoping for a “very clear mandate” ahead of a “technocratic” intergovernmental conference (IGC) under the Portuguese presidency. He stated that the “reformed treaty” should respect “the spirit” of the constitution, but it is time to “jump the hurdle” and conclude discussions on the reform of institutions, which has taken up all of the attention of the member states since the Maastricht Treaty. Success at the European Council will have the advantage of extending the “good mood and the good will”, which will be vital if we are to meet our future deadlines, he said. His fear, should the summit break down, is that the atmosphere will become worse before the forthcoming revision of the financial perspectives, not ruling out the eventuality that solidarity between the member states could suffer from this. The day before, José Manuel Barroso had also called upon all the member states to be constructive, fearing that if this should not be the case, there may be a weakening of the “solidarity mechanism” in the EU (EUROPE 9449). (ab)