EU's Barroso calls trio meeting on bloc's future

Brussels, Apr 26: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said today he had invited current EU president Germany and the next two holders, Portugal and Slovenia, to informal talks in May on the future of the bloc.

Barroso, seeking a way forward over a European Union constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, dismissed suggestions of divisions in the 27-nation bloc.

A Commission source had said yesterday Barroso intended to invite several leaders, including the French presidential poll winner, to the May 12-13 meeting in Portugal. The leaders of Britain and the Netherlands were among those due to attend.

But in a statement Barroso's office said he would invite only the leaders of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia plus the head of the European parliament.

The statement said the decision had been taken ''in the light of recent contacts and in order to avoid speculations about European divisions''.

Previous attempts to hold meetings of small groups of EU leaders have sparked complaints from those not invited.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying to come up with political guidelines and a timetable for drafting a slimmed-down treaty incorporating the main reforms in the constitution at a summit in June.

The main reforms involved the creation of a long-term president, a foreign minister and a simpler voting system based more on population size.

Apart from France and the Netherlands, which both rejected the original charter in referendums, Poland, the Czech Republic and Britain have problems with the existing text.

Reuters>