Six nations unite in push for changes to EU draft

Six central European nations agreed yesterday to push jointly for changes to the European Union's first draft constitution, fearing they would be bullied by larger states under the new rules.

Foreign ministers from EU candidates the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Slovenia as well as current member Austria were meeting in the southeast Czech town of Buchlovice.

The draft constitution, presented by former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing at a meeting last month in Greece, is an attempt to form a legislative backbone for an enlarged EU after the current 15 members welcome 10 new mainly east European states next May.

At issue is a proposal for a simpler voting system in which a decision would pass if supported by at least half of all member states, representing at least 60 per cent of the EU's population, a departure from the current system that favours small states.

Even though Poland has a population larger than the other five combined, it joined their push for change in the hope a united front would help bring success on other issues, such as each country having its own commissioner and maintaining the current principle of a rotating presidency.

"If we are to be successful (in making changes to the draft), we have to be successful in full harmony," Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told a news conference.

"The European Union shall be a community where countries of our size have real influence," he said.

The constitution, which tries to strike a balance between the interests of member states and EU institutions, will be the subject of negotiations at an intergovernmental conference due to start in October.

Mr Svoboda said the ministers would meet again in Poland to work on more specific wording for the changes the six want.