Smaller countries want to ensure that the talks on the treaty are long enough and in-depth enough

The smaller states of the European Union have renewed their calls for open and in-depth talks on the EU constitution ahead of the intergovernmental conference (IGC) due to begin next week.

On the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York yesterday (23 September) foreign ministers from 19 small and medium-sized countries expressed their concern that the IGC will be directed by the large countries.

These fears have been intensified by the repeated calls by some larger countries - Germany, France, the UK and Italy - that the delicate compromise contained within the treaty blueprint should not be unravelled.

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