As if 2005 was not enough of a melt for the elites of EU officialdom:

The European Union’s “psychological relaunch” in 2006 will be severely damaged if some member states try to build an inner club or “core Europe”, EU leaders warned on Monday.
Wolfgang Schussel, chancellor of Austria, marked the beginning of his country’s six-month EU presidency with a warning to countries such as Belgium and France not to “flirt with the idea of core Europe”.
His warning was backed by Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, who believes the creation of an inner club, pressing ahead with deeper integration, would be divisive.

Ideas sure to help MEP Andrew Duff sleep better at night:

Jacques Chirac, French president, will today tell French ambassadors that the EU should “cherry pick” from the constitution and implement those parts which are allowable under existing treaties.
However, there are legal and political obstacles to implementing parts of the draft treaty which includes plans for an EU foreign minister, full-time EU president and slimmed down European Commission.
Mr Chirac’s plan also puts him in conflict with Angela Merkel, German chancellor, who fears that any dismantling of the treaty could remove the change in the EU’s voting rules, which would give Germany much bigger clout.
Mr Barroso and Mr Schussel on Monday warned the EU not to get bogged down in an institutional debate now, but to focus on delivering concrete results, including developing a new energy policy and agreeing a directive to open up the market in services.

One difference between our elite brothers and sisters in EU officialdom and Icarus. Icarus at least got off the ground.