Italy Takes EU Presidency at Crucial Time

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 03, 2003

Italy Takes EU Presidency at Crucial Time

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Italy is taking over the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU) at a time when the 15-member bloc is geared up for enlargement and prepares the final version of a historic new constitution, observers say.

Italy, which took over the EU presidency from Greece on Tuesday,has set out an ambitious agenda for its six-month presidency, which includes accelerating EU political reforms, kick-starting the continent's faltering economy, strengthening a common foreign policy and furthering EU enlargement.

However, observers say it is not easy for Italy to fulfill all the targets within the six-month tenure.

They say Italy faces a tough term focusing on final negotiations on a new constitution for the soon-to-be-enlarged EU.

The EU's first draft constitution was adopted at the just-ended EU summit in Greece and Italy will now convene and preside over a special Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) that has the difficult task of adopting the constitution.

The IGC will open in Rome in mid-October and EU leaders hope that its work will be completed by the end of December when Italy's term as EU president expires.

On one of the thorniest issues, namely voting in the enlarged European Council where decisions are currently made by unanimity, the draft constitution proposes decision-making by a majority of votes in most cases.

In order to be approved, a decision would need the backing of at least half the member states representing at least 60 percent of the EU's total population.

European Commission President Romano Prodi has urged the IGC to prevent majority voting being limited to only a small number of policy areas, arguing that the veto system would paralyze decision-making in an enlarged bloc.

If all goes on plan, the constitution will be signed in Rome in May 2004 when 10 countries, most of them from East Europe, are slated to join the EU.

Observers say Italy will also be expected to tackle the problem of slower economic growth in Europe.

Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti has outlined a 70-billion-euro blueprint to restart the European economy through investments in transport, energy and high technology.

Meanwhile, Tremonti has urged EU member countries to conduct pension and labor market reform.

However, EU member states have witnessed a lackluster economy and analysts predict that the EU's growth rate this year will not exceed 1 percent.

As for a common EU foreign policy, observers say one of the priorities facing Italy will be mending relations between Europe and the United States in the aftermath of the Iraq war, which several European powerhouses such as France and Germany opposed.

Moreover, Italy will boost its relations with Russia and Balkan and Mediterranean countries in order to set up a greater Europe in the future.

On the Middle East issue, Italy will actively take part in promoting the peace process there, trying to enable the EU to play a bigger role in the international arena.

Italy will also ask EU member states to make concerted efforts against illegal immigration and international terrorism.

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