European Union foreign ministers meeting in Luxemburg yesterday failed to come up with a solution to the quagmire the EU has found itself in after Irish voters rejected the EU’s Lisbon Reform Treaty in a referendum last week.

Most importantly for Malta, the Treaty’s shake-up of representation levels at the European Parliament, which would grant the country an additional sixth EP seat, hangs in the balance.

Contacted yesterday, Maltese Foreign Minister Tonio Borg was adamant that the EU continues to strive to reach an agreement in the face of the Irish “no” vote.

“The treaty should be kept alive, even though it looks like there is no EU solution,” Dr Borg commented, adding that discussions over the impasse would resume when EU leaders and their foreign ministers convene later this week for a formal EU summit in Brussels.

Until then, EU states will be keeping a keen eye on developments in Ireland and on the possibility of the country holding another referendum on the wide-ranging treaty – known as the Reform Treaty, or the Lisbon Treaty.

Yesterday’s meeting saw a consensus to find its way out of the current stalemate, which has placed the sweeping reforms envisaged for the future running of the EU, as well as Malta’s sixth EP seat, in jeopardy.

With Ireland being the only EU state constitutionally obliged to hold a referendum on the treaty, which has been tabled as a replacement for the failed bid to draft an EU constitution, the treaty already had been endorsed in legislative votes in 18 EU states, including the Maltese parliament.

Only eight states – Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Sweden and Britain – are left to vote on the treaty.

The treaty needs to be ratified unanimously by all 27 EU member states for it to come into being. Importantly for Malta, the ratifications need to be enacted before the June 2009 European Parliamentary elections.

Senior members of the European Parliament quoted yesterday appealed to EU leaders to “take all appropriate steps” at this week’s summit to push the treaty through despite the Irish rejection, adding that any further enlargement of the EU without the Reform Treaty would be “barely conceivable”.

EU leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday urged the states still to ratify the treaty to continue the process, with the hope a special solution would be developed on the Irish issue.

In 2005, voters in France and the Netherlands, concerned about a lack of EU accountability, rejected the draft EU constitution in national referendums. The defeat of that charter led EU governments to tone down the document, resulting in the Lisbon Treaty.

The treaty reforms many of the ways in which the EU is run, considering the enormous growth of the union since 2004.

For starters, it envisages a smaller European Commission, which, until now, had allotted one commissioner per member state. The commission will be cut down to just 17 commissioners come 2014, after which commissioners will be selected for five-year terms on a rotation system among all member states.

The size of the European Parliament is also being cut down from the current 785 to 751 MEPs. Although the EP reform spells out a reduction in representation for 17 member states, it also sets a minimum of six seats per member state – as such raising Malta’s MEP quota from the current five to six.

Also in 2014, the so-called double majority voting system will come into force replacing the unanimity requirement in 50 areas including judicial and police cooperation, education and economic policy, although the UK and Ireland have brokered opt-out agreements in judicial and police matters.

Instead of the present unanimous vote requirements, decisions will be passed if 55 per cent member states representing more than 65 per cent of the EU’s 490 million population are in agreement. Unanimity will, however, still be required in the areas of foreign and defence policy, social security, taxation and culture.

National parliaments will also be given more oversight powers of EU legislation, while the European Parliament has also been given more powers to modify or reject proposed EU legislation.

The EU, through the treaty’s provisions, will have a president serving a 30-month term. It also establishes a more powerful EU foreign policy chief, who will be a member of the Commission but answerable to member states. The individual will have control of the EU’s enormous network of civil servants and diplomats, as well as of the EU’s aid budget.

Addressing environmental issues, the treaty raises the fight against climate change as well as energy to formal EU policy areas.

The treaty also makes it possible for member states to leave the EU if they should choose to do so, while also providing that if one million petition signatures requesting EU law in any specific area are collected, the Commission would have to oblige by drafting legislation.

The EU’s charter of fundamental rights will also become legally binding across 25 member states, with the exceptions of the UK and Poland.

The 50-article charter comprises a comprehensive list of rights including freedom of speech and religion, as well as the rights to shelter, education, collective labour bargaining and fair working conditions.