Situation normal, EU leaders insist, but constitutional effort needed

Poland and Spain have been singled out at the close of the European Union leaders' summit, where all the present and future members were called on to 'make the necessary sacrifices and put the common interest before the individual.' Poland and Spain are the leading opponents of the draft constitution for an enlarged bloc. The appeal came from Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of the summit's host country and current EU president Italy, the organiser of the negotiations on power-sharing reforms. Diplomats and officials said no progress was made in this area. The smaller countries are against a proposed new system of voting weights in European decision-making, and not having a full-time presence in the European Commission. But large states also simply retabled their respective positions. The summit was a first in one way: never before had one leader stood in for another - French President Jacques Chirac for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who missed the last bit because he had to be in Berlin. Questioned on what he had done for Germany, Chirac took pains to underscore that he had been asked by his friend to act as an observer. This, he said, turned out well, since what France had to say was identical to Germany's message. The demonstration of trust between the two countries traditionally seen as the driving force for European integration is attributed to their mutual goal of preserving large states' influence with so many smaller ones joining the EU bloc next year.