Britain is gaining greater negotiating influence in the European Union, a unique seminar of UK representatives to the European Union (EU) organised by City firm SJ Berwin heard last week.

The London-based meeting was the first time all seven former permanent representatives to the EU in Brussels and Sir John Grant - the current representative - have been gathered together.

The representatives agreed that the UK's bargaining position in the EU would increase as the EU's axis of influence had now shifted from Paris and Berlin to a line between Warsaw, Berlin and London.

Sir John Grant told the seminar that the enlargement of the EU to 25 states this year 'will change the way that Coreper [the committee of permanent representatives from all the member states] does business'.

He said: 'The next big change affecting the EU will not be a legislative one or a treaty.

It will be about economic reform and the competitiveness of the EU generally.'

He added that negotiations within Coreper would need to be more informal to account for so many countries now becoming members.

Lord Hannay of Chiswick, another former permanent representative, said Britain was currently upbeat about its negotiating position in Europe, in contrast to France, which he said had a sense of pessimism about its status.

Stephen Kon, the head of SJ Berwin's EU and competition department and a member of the advisory board of the European research institute at Birmingham University, which co-sponsored the event, said: 'Lawyers have many dealings with the UK permanent representative's office in discussing legislation or bringing competition complaints.

[Sir John] has pointed to the growing importance of negotiating with member states informally.'

He said that as UK lawyers have many dealings with Coreper, 'there will now be more opportunities if the impact of the UK permanent representative has greater influence'.

Mr Kon said SJ Berwin hoped to stage similar seminars in the future.

Jeremy Fleming