Plowing Ahead

Speaking to journalists in Madrid after holding talks, both men acknowledged the Union had much work still to do after the hammer blow of French and Dutch votes last year against a proposed EU constitution.

But Steinmeier said Germany would aim to retrieve as much as possible from the mooted plan.

"We will only succeed in getting back on track by dint of a joint effort," Steinmeier said. "I hope that in the coming months we will be able to convince the sceptics to take up anew the ratification process."

He noted that Germany and Spain had both approved the constitution program, Spain via a referendum and then a parliamentary vote and Germany in parliament before the French and the Dutch rejections torpedoed the process.

Call to be "realistic"

Steinmeier called on EU members to be "not naive, but realistic," as Germany prepares to take over the rotating presidency from Finland in January.

"We know that ultimately all member states will have to give ground, some more than others," said Steinmeier, who added that recent enlargement of the bloc to include Eastern European states, while not the only factor, had increased the need for "urgent institutional reform."

Moratinos said Spain would back German efforts at breathing new life into the integration process during Berlin's presidency.

"Germany can count on Spain 100 percent" to help lead Europe out of the situation of reflection which the no votes in France and the Netherlands led to, Moratinos said.