EU vows treaty not dead after Irish "No"

Their monthly meeting in Luxembourg was a first opportunity to start picking up the pieces after Thursday's Irish referendum cast doubt over the survival of a pact meant to bolster the EU's economic and political weight in the world.

EU leaders will want to hear from Prime Minister Brian Cowen at a summit in Brussels later this week whether he sees any hope of winning a new referendum, a step Irish officials have not ruled out but which they believe is a high-risk strategy.

France led nations arguing that the EU had damaged its cause by failing to respond to public anger over rising food and fuel prices, with some fearing the bloc's image would suffer a further blow if this week's summit did not look at that issue.

"There is only one option and that is to continue the ratification process," German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier told reporters.

"This is a critical time that we are in, the fate of the Lisbon Treaty is uncertain. That's why we are under time pressure, but it doesn't help to start talking about deadlines we don't know we'll be able to meet."

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said it was "far too early" for proposals on salvaging a treaty which will not now come into force on Jan. 1 as planned.

"The people's decision has to be respected and we have to chart a way through. There are no quick fix solutions," he said.

Several ministers said the EU would not seek to isolate and pressure Ireland, but almost all except the Czech Republic said ratification should continue in other capitals.

In Prague, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek kept his options open as he welcomed French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has led calls around Europe for ratification to go on.

"I do not think anybody has a completely clear idea in respect of continuing the ratification process," Topolanek said.

NO PATENT RECIPE

The treaty is designed to streamline decision-making in Brussels and provide the bloc with a permanent "EU President" and a foreign policy supremo.

EU officials hope that if all other countries back the treaty by December, the Irish can be persuaded to try again in exchange for assurances on issues such as preserving a member of the European Commission for each member country and retaining national vetoes over tax legislation indefinitely.

"There can be no immediate solution or patent recipe," said Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik of rescue efforts.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Reuters the Irish vote did not diminish the bloc's commitment to admit new members from southeastern Europe, in apparent contrast to doubts raised earlier by European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering.

"The European Union sticks to its word concerning the EU perspective of southeastern Europe, that is the Western Balkans and Turkey," Rehn said in an interview.

A potentially damaging "who lost Ireland" debate flared when French ministers accused the executive European Commission of insensitivity to fishermen, truckers and cattle breeders hit by soaring fuel and food prices.

French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier told Europe 1 radio Brussels should have been more responsive rather than rejecting Sarkozy's call to use extra tax receipts on petrol to cushion the cost to the worst affected sectors.

According to the latest draft of this week's summit conclusion, EU leaders will express concern over high oil prices but insist that rescue measures are "short-term and targeted".

Photo: Reuters