THE European constitution will enable the EU to share the role of world leader with the United States, Peter Mandelson, Britain’s European Commissioner, said yesterday.

Mr Mandelson told The Times that the new constitution, which will be put to the British people in a referendum next year, would help to create a more coherent European foreign policy. He called on President Bush publicly to support a united Europe when he visits Brussels in a fortnight’s time.

The British Government believes that if the US President publicly backs a more united Europe, it will make it more difficult for the Conservative Party to oppose the constitution in the referendum campaign, as it would make it appear opposed to both the US and Europe.

Mr Mandelson spoke as he met Condoleezza Rice on the eve of his first trip to Washington as Europe’s Trade Commissioner. He will meet the US trade representative, Robert Zoellick, today, hold talks with leading US senators and give a policy speech on transatlantic relations.

He insisted that Europe needed to take on a bigger role in world affairs. “I think there is a temptation for us to be preoccupied with what is going on in our own Continent, our own immediate security concerns,” he said. “Europe has a responsibility to look beyond its own borders and neighbourhood. We have a lot to contribute in global leadership, we would do so more effectively if we had stronger foreign policy, stronger security outlook and stronger defence capabilities. And the constitution will help this.”

The European constitution creates a powerful new European foreign minister and commits Europe to setting up a common defence policy. It also requires Britain and France to give up their seats on the UN Security Council to the EU foreign minister on matters where the EU has agreed a common foreign policy.

President Bush will meet heads of government in the Council of Ministers on February 22, the first time that a US President has spoken at an EU institution in Brussels.

Mr Mandelson said: “We have a common interest in a strong united Europe. I hope that President Bush will restate America’s historical support for European integration. His action in coming to Europe so quickly after his inauguration speaks more powerfully than words.”

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