Ireland's rejection of the Nice treaty in a referendum on June 7 has topped the agenda for EU leaders meeting in Gothenburg on Friday.

Irish voters have thrown a spanner in the euro-works as the treaty must be ratified before the EU can expand its membership to eager applicants in Eastern Europe.

The Swedish presidency's hope of ending its six month tenure with a flagship announcement of a date for the "accession" of Poland, Hungary or the Czech Republic has been blown out of the water by the "No to Nice" setback for Europe's great and good.

Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has repeated assurances that his government has no intentions of renegotiating the treaty but was forced to explain to Europe's gathered leaders why Ireland voted against Nice.

"My government and I were, naturally, profoundly disappointed by the result. While regretting it, at the same time we fully respect the democratic legitimacy of the people's decision," said Ahern.

Leaders of the frontrunner candidates for EU membership, joined the EU leaders for lunch and are pushing hard for a second Irish referendum sooner rather than later.

But Ahern has pleaded for time, it is claimed he wants to keep the autumn free for a general election, and will ask the EU for "special declarations" to take account of concerns raised in the Irish referendum.

"It is now necessary for us to reflect carefully and patiently on how to move on from here. In that I ask for the support of you and your governments. My government very much appreciates your readiness to contribute in every possible way to help us to find a way forward, taking into account the concerns reflected by the result of the referendum."

"I believe it would be premature today for me to begin to discuss how specifically the difficult situation in which we now find ourselves might be resolved. As I said, we genuinely need, at the national level, an extended period of reflection. I have announced the establishment of a National Forum on Europe," he said.

The likely deal to ensure a "Yes" vote in round two, is expected to be a Danish-style "opt-out" for Ireland on the EU's rapid-reaction force.

In 1992 the Danes were given special exemptions to the Maastricht treaty to ensure a "yes" vote after a resounding "No" threatened to embroil the EU in protracted renegotiations.

Many in Ireland are concerned over the EU's military force because it is viewed as a threat to the country's neutrality - a status historically bound up with Irish nationalism and the struggle for independence.

The EU force is seen as being too close to NATO, a force which is regarded with hostility and suspicion by many in Ireland.

A "special declaration" removing Ireland from any obligation to contribute to the force is widely seen as being sufficient to secure a "Yes" vote in a second round vote.

Ahern has only just escaped having the finger of blame for the referendum result pointed at him by Spain, Italy and Austria after Ireland's Fine Gael leader, Michael Noonan, intervened at a top-level meeting of the centre-right European People's Party.

The meeting was set to approve a resolution condemning Ireland for a "lack of political will".

"The referendum in Ireland on the Nice treaty revealed widespread popular confusion and a lack of political will on the part of the Fianna Fail-led government to put a forceful and persuasive case for the treaty," read the deleted motion.

Instead the resolution to be discussed by the EU leaders argues that "member governments should put aside adequate resources, as appropriate, and political energy" to achieve the desired result.

The question of the EU's political legitimacy faced by distinctly unenthusiastic voters is set to become a major talking point when the euro-summit discusses the debate surrounding the future of the EU.

This is an issue that Bertie Ahern is keenly aware of - the referendum was lost 54 per cent to 46 per cent on Ireland's lowest ever euro-turnout of 35 per cent - and he warned the Europe's leaders of a widespread sense of alienation among the EU's voters.

"The result of our referendum graphically underscores what I believe all of us around this table already know: that there is, unfortunately, a widespread sense of disconnection between the institutions of the union and its citizens. There is frustration at what is sometimes seen as an absence of clarity, openness and responsiveness in how the union goes about its business."

" I know that it is easier to diagnose the problem than to prescribe widely acceptable remedies. I also know that there are very many misconceptions and misunderstandings which unjustly shape popular perceptions of the union. Nonetheless, it is vital that this dimension be kept at the forefront of our thinking throughout the entire forthcoming debate on the future of the union," he said.

Concentrating the minds of Europe's ministers will be a survey in Belgium - which takes over the EU presidency in July - which showed a majority opposed to EU expansion in to eastern Europe.

The next presidency of the EU may well find democracy a greater obstacle to the euro-agenda and treaty-timetabling than the internecine squabbling of member countries.