Airstrip One

Second XV limber up for Convention rematch - 2nd September 2003, 22.37

In a meeting known as the "Dwarf Summit", fifteen small countries, both present and future members met to consider a common negotiating position for the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference. Their ballast was Poland, proving the sole "big country" in their ranks, whilst the Franco-German acolytes, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands stayed away.

Officials from Slovakia, Hungary, Greece, Finland, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia and the Czech Republic attended the meeting, amounting to the strongest challenge so far to the EU’s larger countries and their alleged intentions to consolidate the bloc’s power.

Whilst they accepted the majority of the Convention's proposals, the Dwarf Summiteers wished to maintain the power of the Commission with the principle of 'one country, one commissioner' and ensuring that the Presidency continued to rotate amongst all prospective 27 members.

The more division within the intergovernmental conference, the greater the possibility that the draft Constitution will not be ratified in a significant number of European countries. Whilst Germany is cast as the defender of the D'Estaing's reputation, both Britain and Italy have also been preparing their own briefs. Their latest euphemism is "improvements and more detail" but Straw also stated that the major points would not be revisited, applying political tippex to our "redlines"