Tony Blair is happy to take Britain into an EU superstate but is doing so by stealth

Shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude

Shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude called the latest document a "bombshell" and said it showed the government's secret integrationist policy and the "real agenda" behind Nice.

The summit is regarded as one of the most important meetings of EU leaders in years and aims to pave the way for the entry of some 13 new members.

Five objectives

Mr Blair has already suggested another summit and called for many of the proposals set out in the Italian-German paper.

But he told the European Union summit in Biarritz, France, in October there should not be a "two-speed" Europe as the EU expanded.

He said Britain wanted to make sure political reform in the EU was based on "nations coming together, not some European federal superstate".

The Foreign Office played down the significance of the paper, insisting it contained "nothing new".

Mr Blair has set himself five key objectives for this weekend's European Union summit in Nice aimed to strengthen the UK's position in Europe.

His aims include more power for Britain through a substantial re-weighting of votes, a smaller and better organised European Commission and a more flexible Europe free from "hardcore" nations.

Legal charter

He has also vowed to safeguard Britain's veto on crucial issues such as taxation and social security spending.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said many of the proposals in the Italian-German submission were in line with the government's position.

Mr Blair had called for the creation of a second chamber for the EU Parliament back in October, she added.

However, the Italian-German submission also called for members to discuss making the EU's controversial new Charter of Fundamental Human Rights legally binding, a move British ministers have repeatedly discounted.

But Mr Maude said: "Tony Blair is happy to take Britain into an EU superstate but is doing so by stealth because he knows Labour's beliefs are at odds with those of the British people."