What no one is sure of is whether it is just rhetoric &ndash or if he would be prepared to oppose

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What no one is sure of is whether it is just rhetoric – or if he would be prepared to oppose joining if his demands were not met.Lurking behind this is an ugly, simmering row with Germany and Austria over the expulsion of Czechoslovakia's ethnic Germans at the end of the Second World War, which has fired up nationalist sentiments in the Czech Republic and its neighbours. Leaping on the bandwagon, Mr Klaus is demanding a guarantee from the EU that the Benes decrees, under which the Sudeten Germans were forced out, will never be questioned as a condition for agreeing to join.The election has in many ways become a vote for or against Mr Klaus, in part because Mr Spidla broke the cosy power-sharing conventions of Czech politics and said he would never go into coalition with him. That means the balance of power will probably rest with two smaller parties who are running together and are in third place with 16 per cent.Mr Spidla has emerged as a tough contender, although he was quiet as a minister under the outgoing Prime Minister, Milos Zeman. Mr Spidla twice trounced Mr Klaus in televised debates, to much astonishment.One thing will make Czech politics less colourful: the retirement of Mr Zeman. He insulted politicians, mocked one of his own ministers and called Sudeten Germans "Hitler's fifth column" But rumours say he may run for President..

Leaders of European Union countries argued for so many days at Nice that the caterers ran out of food. At Laeken outside Brussels the Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi, bellowed at his fellow leaders about his nation's culinary traditions. "It would be dancing to the far right's tune," a Foreign Office source said yesterday. "The big theme at Seville will be to take away the excuses for people switching to the far right."Officials admit the warning signs were there before recent events. They point to the Danish referendum that rejected joining the euro, the Irish people's "no" to the Nice Treaty and the low turn-out in European Parliament elections. "The threat from the far right gives this a new and greater impetus," one minister said.Proposals include allowing television cameras into meetings of EU ministers when they make laws jointly with the European Parliament.Meetings would also be open to the public and the press at two points: when a proposal for a new law is made and at the final vote.At present, all ministerial meetings take place behind closed doors. "We are the only legislative body apart from North Korea which doesn't let the cameras in," one source said.

"People have no image of the EU, except ministers getting in and out of limousines. How can they support it, if they never see what it does?"The leaders are expected to agree to draw up more detailed long-term plans, such as the economic reform blueprint that was agreed two years ago to create 20 million jobs over 10 years. Target dates could now be set in other policy areas and the EU is expected to agree an annual plan.Future summits of leaders would be cut from two or more days to a single day through a "precise and binding" set of rules.Foreign ministers would do more of the preparatory work to stop the leaders' summits descending into chaotic, late-night horse-trading sessions. They would hold a final, preparatory meeting on the eve of such summits to clear the way for final agreement.The Seville summit will agree closer co-operation between EU states to combat illegal immigration in an attempt to prevent right-wing parties playing "the race card." On Monday, foreign ministers will draw up plans to be approved in Seville to boost international co-operation on policing borders to create multi-nation teams of frontier guards, and to increase surveillance at sea.Spain and Britain are backing a controversial plan to link development aid with the cooperation of nations in accepting back their nationals who are denied asylum.