The 15 countries ignored warnings by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer that the compromise reached by the Convention should not be tampered with. They said in a statement that "some issues ranging from aspects of institutional structures to decision-making procedures would require further consideration".
One of the key demands of the smaller countries is that each should be guaranteed a post of a commissioner with full voting rights. Under the Convention's proposal there would be only 15 commissioners with full voting rights for 25 Member States.
The smaller countries also want to reopen the proposal for a permanent president to replace the current six-month rotating presidency which gives each Member State equal rights at leading the EU. The smaller countries are convinced that the current proposal favours the bigger Member States, notably Germany, France and the UK.
