There is no sense of crisis among member states over the recent breakdown of talks on an EU constitution, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said this evening.
Speaking after a meeting with the heads of the European Parliament's political groupings, Mr Ahern refused to rule out addressing the issue during Ireland's presidency which begins on January 1st.
Having previously said it would unlikely that the constitution issue could be resolved during Ireland six-month term, today he said the matter would be reassessed in February or March.
Speaking alongside the president of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, Mr Ahern said a successor to Mr Romao Prodi as president of the European Commission would be established during Ireland's term.
When asked if he was interested in the job, he firmly ruled out the possibility.
Improving relations with the US is one of the areas Ireland intends to work on during its presidency, and Mr Ahern said today he would likely meet US President George W Bush on two occasions during the presidency and there was a chance he would visit Ireland towards the end of June if the G8 summit is held in Ireland.
Mr Cox said MEPs believed improvements