The European Union will again delay voting on regulation aimed at giving foreign hedge funds a single license to operate in Europe due to disagreement over the move, a senior lawmaker said on Wednesday.

Jean-Paul Gauzes, the French parliamentarian leading negotiations with EU member states on efforts to tighten regulation of hedge funds and private equity firms, said he now hoped to reach agreement on a text before a session of the European Parliament in early October.

Representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and EU member states have repeatedly failed to reach a deal over the new hedge fund rules. They will meet again on Sept 15 to see if they can agree on a text for the parliament.

According to European diplomats, France is still opposed to any rule allowing foreign funds to have a "European passport."