If you've visited the EUobserver Web site today, you know the news in the EU is mostly about the battle looming in the coming Inter-govermental Conference. The reason the media is focusing so much on this I.G.C. is because the outcome of these battles will decide the shape of the new, super EU for many years to come.

However, like I've been reporting, the EU is really heading down two tracks at the same time. On the first track are those who are working hard on the details and structure of the new, super EU's government, and on the other are those working on the shape of the new, super EU's defense apparatus.

Today's flurry of reports mostly deal with the first track -- those who are working on the structure of the new EU's government. However, my attention is focused more on the second track -- those working on the new EU's defense structure.

That's why in my last commentary I wrote about the recent meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. The reason they met was to discuss with EU top officials the so-called "wider Middle East" policy. Among these officials was external relations commissioner Christ Patten and High Representative Javier Solana.

Although Patten was present, I suspect the person calling the meeting was Solana. That's because Solana is working on the second track as the man responsible for finding and implementing the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Patten, on the other hand, is on the first track. But Patten hold's the EU's purse strings. So Patten was needed because the "wider Middle East" policy they were discussing is an apparent attempt by Solana and his 10 core nations to link the EU's financial support in Iraq to the EU achieving its own goals in the Mediterranean.

This brings us to today's news article. Evidently, Javier Solana gave a speech in Poland where he explained why he was wanting to turn the EU into a stonger world power like the United States (Read about it here). Poland, as you may know, is very pro-America and NATO. So, it appears Solana feels it's necessary to assure Poland he isn't leading the new, super EU into a confrontation with the United States.

Question: Will Poland buy it?

Stay tuned!