"These are very delicate and sensitive talks and we need a very creative solution," an EU source said, commenting on the stalemate.
Press reports last week spoke of a rumoured French compromise in the talks but MEPs claimed they had heard nothing of it and were upset at being kept in the dark.
The talks revolve around the revision of the Stability and Growth Pact, a series of rules designed to keep national debts under sustainable thresholds, but EU countries and MEPs have very different views on how strict these rules ought to be.
The package of six legislative drafts has reached a standstill as France does not want to cede more power to the European Commission, while the Parliament wants to make it harder for countries to sideline the Commission's advice to indebted countries.
The row revolves around Reverse Qualified Majority Voting (RQMV), which France shirks for fear of losing control over its fiscal sovereignty. But the Parliament insists that history – meaning the debt crisis – will repeat itself if countries are constantly left to their own devices.
A Dutch MEP in command of one of the six legislative drafts, Corien Wortmann-Kool (European People's Party), was disappointed that press reports had created the impression that the mysterious French compromise had been discussed with MEPs.
Though sources say that there is a French proposal floating around, many also insist that the ball is actually in the Parliament's court because MEPs deferred a scheduled vote on the package earlier this year.
"We have taken on board a lot of the Parliament's requirements. We have no recent position from the Parliament because there was no vote."
There is little indication of how creative the compromise will be and other countries claim to have absolutely no idea what it entails.
The Polish Presidency and the Commission appear to be keeping all matters concerning the six-pack under lock and key. An EU source said recent presidencies made the mistake of telling the media too much, which would subsequently enrage other negotiating partners.
