"It is obvious our text is far more ambitious than the text on the table at the moment and which has now been agreed," Reding told the ministers at the meeting, adding that the Commission will continue to push for bigger changes during the final stage of drafting the laws.

The European Parliament will now debate the changes for a second time because it shares decision-making powers with the council of national government ministers.

The Parliament, which so far has taken a position closer to the one proposed by the Commission on most elements of the reform package, has to agree a compromise position with the ministers before the end of its current legislature, which expires next summer.

"On the key points we still have work on the table but there is nothing which can give me the impression there will be a stop in the procedure," said Catherine Trautmann, a French socialist member of parliament in a statement released after the meeting Thursday.

"I am sure we can have a result before the end of the legislature," Trautmann added.