The first 24 hours of the summit in Brussels to hammer out a replacement for the European constitution  has been a “phoney war”, to steal the wartime parlance that Poland’s government has adopted. Knowing that another night of skirmishing lay ahead leaders happily remained camped behind their red lines, brooking no suggestion of compromise.

This is often the way at the biannual events, if only to add a little drama in an attempt to get the public’s interest. It certainly worked for the British press, excited by Poland’s claims of compensation for its war dead.

One side has however, run up the white flag: the dwindling band of self-described federalist “militants”. Wilfried Martens, the former Belgian prime minister who presides over Europe’s leading political grouping, the centre-right European’s People’s party, is one.

At a meeting of EPP leaders ahead of the summit yesterday Mr Martens had to restrain federalist hotheads such as Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker. After Mr Juncker said there could be no retreat for the 18 countries – including his own, via referendum, that had ratified the document, Martens intervened.

“This is a test, a real test, for us but it is the only way we can do anything. There is no alternative,” Martens said.

He also rubbished suggestions that a pro-treaty avant garde could forge ahead if there is no deal this week. Who would be in it when The Netherlands and France, two founding members of the union and euro, were responsible for sinking the project, he asked?

Hans-Gert Pottering, the speaker of the European parliament, who was also present at the chateau north of Brussels, had to swallow hard. He later addressed European leaders. He called the constitution “a magnificent product” and said that they were at a decisive moment in history. “It is particularly disappointing that the European symbols, not least the flag and anthem, are to be taken out of the treaty,” he said, recalling that when he visited the Israeli Knesset, Ode to Joy, the European anthem was played.

“It was an impressive political acknowledgement on the part of my hosts, as well as a moving experience for me,” he said. “How can we strengthen individuals’ sense of togetherness in the European Union as a community if we fail to stand by the symbols that stand for that community?”

For now the community is the nation. Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, the EPP vice-president from Poland’s opposition Civic Platform, lined up four square behind the Kacynski brothers’ “square root” voting proposal. The Polish parliament has already passed a resolution in its favour and to argue against it is seen as treachery.

One wonders, however, if the federalists’ time may come again. If China and Israel rise to great power status, and if the US retreats to its homeland, might the numbers wishing to cluster around the security of the European flag rise?

June 22nd, 2007 in Constitution | Permalink