Jacques Delors, founding president of Notre Europe, is cited in the International Herald Tribune warning that without institutional reforms, Europe could "unravel"."In an interview to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding Treaty of Rome on March 25, Delors, who headed the EU executive from 1985-94, warned that the bloc's achievements risk being taken for granted and its fragility underrated.

""From a purely pragmatic point of view, our system of preparing decisions is not fit for purpose, neither for the fact that we are now 27 countries nor for the reality of the world," Delors, 81, said in Brussels.

"Asked what would happen if EU leaders were unable to salvage key reforms in a draft constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, the former French finance minister said: "Well, Europe will unravel."

""I won't be alive," he said. "But in 20 years' time, even the British will say it's not good. We are all losers, our financial center has lost out, our exports of services have suffered, our influence is finished or diminished.""See the full article.