nation bloc rather than on details of the 2007-2013 budget, as London is keen to avoid a repeat of a bitter clash in June. "The summit in June was a political disaster and after that we have to create a better atmosphere," Rasmussen said. Blair told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday he wanted to make a start "in putting Europe back together again, on the right track and moving forward". He called for a "more rational way" of spending EU cash. Critics say the refusal to address specifics makes for a vacuous agenda, aggravated by the fact that lame-duck outgoing German and Polish leaders will be present, rather than their conservative successors-in-waiting. Barroso told BBC radio that, after the French and Dutch rejection of the EU's draft constitution and the budget fracas, Europeans expected their leaders to focus on "concrete projects from energy to research to universities to security". British officials say the future financing negotiations can be wrapped up in a six-week sprint to mid-December if the political atmosphere in Europe can be improved. Budget talks collapsed in June after Blair refused to give up any of Britain's cherished rebate from EU coffers without a promise of cuts in farm subsidies that largely benefit France. Agriculture and Britain's rebate have been taboo subjects in the run-up to Thursday's meeting at the historic palace on the banks of the Thames. Despite efforts to create a better mood between London and Paris, deep differences persist on economic and social models. Britain insists Europe must change its labour market and welfare policies to create jobs for the bloc's 19 million unemployed and cope with its ageing population. French President Jacques Chirac has demanded more protection for French workers and refused to consider shifting resources away from farm subsidies and towards innovation before 2013. French Finance Minister Thierry Breton, in an interview with Thursday's Financial Times, rejected Blair's argument that EU agricultural policy is "spending of the past". "I think being interested in food security is modern and necessary," Breton said.
