Luxembourg's national interests will be set aside despite threats to its influence when it assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union next month, Deputy Prime Minister Jacques Poos says.
One of the Grand Duchy's principal tasks as president for the next six months will be to prepare the EU to embrace former eastern European nations, requiring a sweeping revision of constitutional treaties.
The EU will be enlarged from 15 to as many as 27 members - a move which will inevitably diminish Luxembourg's status in the organisation.
Its voting weight in the Council of Ministers will be reduced and so will its opportunities to hold the EU presidency, since the role is shared equally by member countries.
But Mr Poos insisted: 'Faithful to its tradition of past presidencies [most notably when Luxembourg shaped the Maastricht Treaty in 1991], the Luxembourg Government will on the international scene only act in the name of Europe.
'Luxembourg will put its national interests back and do its best to find the right words to express the political will of all the member states. The great ambition of Luxembourg is to bring Europe forward in the second term of 1997.' Luxembourg must also tackle the delicate question of the Euro common currency, scheduled to be introduced on January 1, 1999.