United by Madrid, EU leaders on anti-terror drive

1.00pm

BRUSSELS - European Union leaders met on Thursday to put tough action behind condemnations of terrorism after the Madrid bombings and revive talks on the bloc's first constitution which broke down in acrimony three months ago.

Stunned by the train blasts that killed 190 people in Madrid on March 11, the leaders of the EU's 25 member states were set to name Dutchman Gijs de Vries as "czar" of a new drive to co-ordinate a drive against terror.

The former deputy interior minister's job will be to break down barriers between EU and national authorities, which are often reluctant to share intelligence, and better organise the work of multiple European bodies responsible for security.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said ahead of the Brussels summit that Europe could beat terrorists with better coordination and intelligence sharing and by implementing EU-wide legislation such as a European arrest warrant.

The EU also needed to understand and tackle the causes of terrorism, he said. Europeans see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a key driver of Islamic militancy.

The EU Declaration on Terror will warn partner countries to tighten up their own anti-terror policies or face a loss of aid from the world's biggest donor and a major trade bloc.

"We are going to put restrictions on cooperation with third countries, link it to good behaviour," Solana told reporters.

The last EU summit, in December, ended in deadlock over the text for a constitution designed to help the bloc function more smoothly when it enlarges to 25 members from 15 on May 1. Three months on, the leaders appeared ready to at least try again.

"We're seeing a preparedness by everyone to come to the table to resume negotiations," said Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, adding that -- with political commitment -- a deal could be reached before Dublin's presidency of the EU ends in June.

Poland gave its strongest signal so far that it would back down from what was widely seen as an intransigent position.

December's talks collapsed over voting rights, with Spain and Poland clinging to a weighted system agreed at Nice in 2000 that gave them influence disproportionate to their size.

A larger number of countries, led by France and Germany, pressed for a "double majority" solution under which decisions must be passed by more than half the member states, representing more than 60 per cent of the bloc's population.

Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said for the first time on Thursday that Poland did not rule out "the possibility of a compromise based on the double majority".

However, Cowen said an agreement was far from certain because "issues of substance need to be resolved".

Elmar Brok, European Parliament representative on constitution talks, said some states wanted to hold a special EU summit on May 9 -- Europe Day -- to conclude the treaty.

But some do not want substantial negotiations before European Parliament elections in June, with France in particular anxious to avoid a "eurosceptic" backlash from voters.

Italian President Silvio Berlusconi ruled out an accord before the polls, saying it was "quite difficult to strike a deal when the positions of member states are still so distant".

A delay until after the elections would leave only a narrow window to reach agreement by the next EU summit on June 17-18, which is also due to choose a successor to Romano Prodi as European Commission president.

- REUTERS