FIVE EU heads of government, including the Taoiseach joined forces last night to call on Britain to stop blocking EU business in [the dispute over beef and BSE.
The leaders of Germany, Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and Ireland, meeting to prepare the Florence summit, issued a statement insisting that the British government take all the necessary steps to restore consumer confidence in beef.
The heads of government, all Christian Democrats, heard reports from the Italian Prime Minister, Prof Romano Prodi, ahead of Florence and a report from Mr Bruton on the priorities for Ireland's EU presidency. But their discussions were dominated by the beef crisis.
Later, Mr Bruton said it was clear there was still a wide gulf of incomprehension between Britain and its EU partners. A framework for lifting the ban on British beef would only be established, the Taoiseach said, if Britain dropped its blocking policy definitively.
Outlining his wish to see Europe brought closer to its citizens, Mr Bruton suggested several ideas likely to antagonise Eurosceptic elements in Britain. European citizens, he suggested, should be given the opportunity to vote directly for the presidency of the European Commission.
The EU, he told fellow leaders, could draw on the American experience to bring people into an "act of citizenship". The Taoiseach also suggested the possibility of translational elections to the European Parliament.
Ireland, he said, would promote the fight against unemployment and drug trafficking during its presidency, as well as the drive to bring Europe closer to its citizens.