Na feestelijkheden rond uitbreiding hervatten Grondwet-onderhandelingen (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - As Europe recovers from the enlargement celebrations and enters the political reality of 25 member states, negotiations on the draft Constitution will top the bill for the next few weeks.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the EU's enlargement, Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister and current head of the EU, said "Our first major task together will be to agree a new Constitutional Treaty".

"Although there are significant issues to be resolved in the negotiations on the Constitutional Treaty, there are very large parts of it that are agreed. On the more difficult and sensitive issues which remain, I firmly believe a way forward can be found with the necessary political will".

High-level officials from the 25 member states will begin meeting in Dublin tomorrow (4 May) to continue the behind-the-scenes negotiations on the treaty blueprint.

These series of meetings will try and see agreement reached between governments on all but the really sensitive issues - mainly institutional - ahead of a formal meeting of foreign ministers on the Constitution on 17 May.

The sensitive question of voting rights under the new Constitution, as well as the number of commissioners and the number of seats in the European Parliament are set to be left to EU leaders to agree at a summit in June; these are the balance of power questions.

The Summit in June is also when EU leaders have committed themselves to wrap up the whole of the Constitution negotiations - some six months after they collapsed in acrimony.

No reference to God

Other crucial issues that have not been decided include, which institution should have the final say over the EU budget, the extent of the veto in certain areas of justice and home affairs, the exact role of the EU foreign minister, and the issue of a mention of God in the Constitution.

Mr Ahern has already given a clue on the religious question.

"As you know there is a reference to religious values. I do not think we will get a reference to God. I think the wording that is there now will probably stay the same. There might be some change, but I do not think it is going to change substantially", said the prime minister.

Similarly, EU leaders will have to look at the question of what will happen if a member state fails to approve the Constitution.

Germany, which itself is not having a referendum on the treaty, indicated recently that it would like to look at the possibilities of the EU taking on the constitution even if some countries have not already ratified it.

Mr Ahern will begin a tour of European capitals this week to discuss the Constitution. His first ports of call will be to the leaders of Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.