Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi yesterday urged European heads of state to put Europe's interests before their own to resolve areas of disagreement over the EU Constitution as the Intergovernmental Conference to discuss the issue got under way in the southern part of Rome.
Speaking at the EU Presidency's press conference after a difficult session involving 28 European leaders, Mr Berlusconi said areas of disagreement had been pinpointed and it was now up to foreign ministers to work hard so the heads of state would be able to focus on the issues at the European Council in Brussels at the end of this month.
"A very difficult task awaits us. There are only 60 days at our disposal to do a lot of work," he said.
Mr Berlusconi is keen to complete this IGC by the end of the Italian presidency so that the required translations of the treaty can be carried out, enabling voters in the June European Parliament elections to make an "informed choice".
However, he stressed that no cut-off point had been set and work on the treaty would continue under the Irish presidency if need be.
Most of the draft Constitution is expected to be approved, but serious differences will have to be resolved over the coming weeks if the EU is to meet its deadline.
A number of countries, especially the smaller ones, have reservations over the draft constitution amid concerns over the influence they will have.
Malta is opposing provisions which propose to fix the minimum threshold of MEPs at four (it wants six), limit the number of voting European Commissioners to 15 out of 25 on a rotating basis, and restrict the scope for vetoes by member states.
Along with Spain, Italy and Poland, the Maltese government also "wholeheartedly" supports the insertion of a reference to God and the Christian heritage of Europe, which has so far been omitted.
Although European Commission President Romano Prodi is backing the concept of voting Commissioners, saying that "every Commissioner should have the right to vote", he is keen to see the removal of the requirement for unanimity on a number of issues. He said unanimity was a rigid, fragile condition that posed a threat to the stability of the Constitution.
The signal from Mr Berlusconi yesterday was that the big EU members are not prepared to revisit what had already been discussed and decided in the EU Convention on the Constitution as progress must be made quickly.
Mr Prodi reaffirmed the Commission's commitment to a rapid conclusion of the discussion and European Parliament President Pat Cox also appealed to governments to put the collective objective of Europe first so that the EU could "stop tinkering with the institutions".
The heads of state had lunch with the Italian President after their morning session, leaving the foreign ministers to discuss the problematic areas in a three-hour meeting. But they were then advised not to return to the Palazzo dei Congressi in the afternoon due to the protests, forcing Dr Fenech Adami to cancel his scheduled press conference.
Security and organisational costs for the one-day conference are expected to exceed €15 million.
On Friday, Dr Fenech Adami attended an informal meeting for defence ministers, where discussions centred on a common European force and the European foreign minister, who will be a new figure combining the current roles of the EU's foreign policy representative and the external affairs member of the Commission.
The prime minister said that Europe's defence policy would not be integrated with NATO but nor would it seek to be a competitor.
Malta has agreed to take part in certain programmes, but in line with its neutrality status will do so only on a humanitarian level.