Germany and Italy have warned that a European Union summit next week may not agree a new EU constitution.

Speaking in Berlin, Italy's Prime Minister - and current EU president - Silvio Berlusconi said he was "55% optimistic" a deal would be reached.

His host, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said both men did not rule out failure in Brussels on Friday.

The biggest disagreement has been over voting powers among nations when the EU expands to take in 10 new members.

Unchanged position

Germany and France, which together account for one-third of the bloc's population want the voting system to reflect their size.

But Spain and Poland fear domination by the bigger countries and have been fighting a fierce battle to hold on to a voting system agreed three years ago at the Nice summit.

The two were given 27 votes each in the future executive commission - only two less than the most populated states, including Germany which has a population double their size.

The draft constitution proposes that a double majority system would work most efficiently - a decision would go through if supported by half the member states representing at least 60% of the EU's total population.

After talks in Berlin, Chancellor Schroeder said Germany's position remained unchanged.
"I'm happy that the Italian presidency sees the question of voting rights exactly as Germany does," Mr Schroeder said. "This is a question on which we are not movable."

Mr Berlusconi's assessment was not very sanguine, says the BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin.
"With this meeting, the 50-50 optimism that I expressed yesterday has risen slightly to 55-45" in favour of the summit succeeding, Mr Berlusconi said.
He did not suggest possible concessions at the meeting on 12-13 December.

Among the other issues that have yet to be discussed is the question of whether God and the EU Christian heritage should be mentioned in the text.

This is something Malta, Spain and Poland are keen to include and something which would make France, a country with a strong separation of state and church, very unhappy.

Source: BBCNews at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3298441.stm