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But a British source said “the penny had dropped” and European colleagues understood that Mr Blair was adamant that the question had to be solved to his satisfaction.A deal was expected to be announced today on fish quota hopping. We have to learn from each other.”The British source said the autumn summit would assess the success of each countries’ efforts on the basis of certain criteria: labour market costs, welfare reform, and emphasis on small and medium size enterprise, and competitiveness.Meanwhile, although progress was made on the British demand to retain sovereign control over her own borders, there were still some problem words outstanding in the treaty text last night. The first, last Thursday, was in the beautiful Hawksmoor church that is the Spitalfields Festival main venue. If countries can’t admit they have problems, they are not going to come up with solutions. France appeared to have made a series of concessions, particularly over its demands for major new spending to promote growth, and there were doubts about whether the Franco-German rift has truly healed.Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting seemed to herald a dramatic shift in alliances, arguing that the Franco-German marriage was now over.

Gerhard Schroder, leader of the opposition Social Democrats, argued in favour of a new menage a trois, involving London, Paris and Bonn.In an interview with the German financial daily, Handelsblatt, he argued that Britain was likely to be the driving force behind the “renaissance” of European politics.Under the jobs package it was agreed that in the search to find schemes that work in delivering jobs, all governments would report to that forthcoming jobs summit on their own successes and failures in an attempt to ameliorate Europe’s unemployment crisis.A British source said: “We will take a lead on this. But Tony Blair was giving no hint last night to hounds, huntsmen or hunt saboteurs: Downing Street seemed intent on having it both ways. So is he in favour of a ban, or against one? Gossip reports that he personally supports a ban but does not want to jeopardise other legislation in the Lords. Or perhaps his new friend, the Prince of Wales, has had a word?. A new alliance of Britain, France and Germany led the way in making job- generation a new priority for Europe yesterday. While heads of government were thrashing out the latest treaty on the future direction of European Union, at the Amsterdam summit, finance ministers agreed an economic package covering both jobs and the stability pact for the European single currency.
The package followed new resolve by France and Germany to resolve a bitter row over the euro rule book, which had cast new doubt over the future of the single currency, and overshadowed the Amsterdam summit.After EU leaders struck their deal yesterday, Jacques Santer, the European Commission president, said:”We have seen today a reaffirmation of political will to complete EMU, in line with the agreed criteria. Today we have completed all the preparatory work and this is a very important stage.”Unveiling of the design of the future euro coins put substance to the message that the euro was back on track.The design, which for Britain could accommodate the Queen’s head on one face, shows maps of Europe in different contexts, including one against what a press release said was “a dynamic background of Europe’s symbols”, namely stars.Tony Blair said: “There is an agreement to put employment measures right at the top of the agenda in respect of the single currency and, indeed, the development of the European Union.”The Prime Minister pinned the initiative on Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, and one source claimed: “They are now talking our sort of language.”Specifically Britain is determined to be first off the mark with a report on its own welfare-to-work programme, due in next month’s Budget, for a Luxembourg jobs summit to be held in the autumn.Under the deal Germany, backed by Britain, insisted that strict fiscal discipline for the single currency should not be watered down.

It’s now imperative that all governments who have tried to move things forward must realise that the IRA is irredeemable.”. A hound ponders his future with the Quantock Staghounds in Somerset yesterday: is a Labour MP’s anti-hunting Bill going to deprive him of a livelihood or not? The attitude of Downing Street will be crucial, since the Government controls the parliamentary timetable by which most Private Member’s Bills fail or succeed. We have to face the reality this may well push loyalists to the brink.”Loyalist acts of violence could lead to the expulsion of their political representatives from the existing multi-party talks, thus decreasing the chances of their success. In the meantime Unionist politicians called on the Government to abandon hopes of bringing Sinn Fein into politics.Ken Maginnis, the Ulster Unionist MP, said: “Republicans have been playing a mocking game with successive governments and testing the integrity and sincerity of the new Labour government in order to ascertain how far it could be pushed. David Adams of the Ulster Democratic Party, which is close to the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association, warned: “The future looks dark.