BBC: European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels to debate a new treaty to improve how the 27-member bloc is run.
Germany, which holds the EU presidency, has called for a fair deal to replace a planned constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
But the summit is expected to be tense, with the UK and Poland both threatening to use their vetoes.
The UK opposes any growth of EU powers, while the Poles are resisting plans to reduce their voting rights.
The draft paper tabled by Germany makes several concessions to EU member states opposed to key parts of the failed constitution.
But both the British Prime Minister Tony Blair - attending his final EU meeting before leaving office next week - and his Polish counterpart have taken a hard line during the run-up to the summit. EU braced for treaty rows (more)
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Mark Alexander
