The Hindu : Mending E.U.-U.S. rift Berlusconi priority

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2003

International

International

Mending E.U.-U.S. rift Berlusconi priority

By Batuk Gathani

The Italian Premier, Silvio Berlusconi (right), and the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, in Rome on Friday. — AP

Brussels June 30. The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the country's richest man and media tycoon, is poised to lead the European Union from Tuesday, as Italy takes over the six-monthly rotating presidency from Greece. Mr. Berlusconi, often regarded as a "highly controversial but untouchable'' leader of Italy, has few friends or allies.

He always depended on his charm, instinct and above all his great wealth — $4 billions — to see him through the never-ending series of personal and political crises.

Despite all that, charges of corruption and conflict of interest in Italian courts refuse to go away.

For a while, Mr. Berlusconi has managed to `postpone' the alleged corruption trial, almost indefinitely, while he remains the Prime Minister. In Italian political circles, the foregone conclusion is that Mr. Berlusconi will make a bid for a second term in office in 2006. A minor chink in the Berlusconi armour is that his opponents in the left spectrum are, slowly but surely, gaining strength despite his money and influence.

On Tuesday, Mr. Berlusconi realises his ambition of leading the E.U. as he will be responsible for setting its agenda but the omens are not promising. Mr. Berlusconi's top priority is to narrow the chasm between the U.S. and the E.U., as trans-Atlantic relations remain grossly damaged over war and post-war conflict in Iraq.

The second priority is to usher in structural economic, labour and social reforms to give more breathing space to the ailing E.U.'s economic growth prospects.Mr. Berlusconi has campaigned on free-market platform since his advent into politics only a decade ago.

It remains to be seen if the self-made billionaire could also promote radical economic changes at the pan-European level.

The current head or the President of the European Commission is Romano Prodi, a fellow Italian but the two are an odd couple and perhaps political rivals if Mr. Prodi as a left-wing candidate decides to challenge Mr. Berlusconi in the 2006 general election.

The Italian presidency will also pave the way for the smooth acceptance of the E.U.'s 10 new member-states who were ruled by communist governments just over a decade ago and were within the orbit of the now defunct Soviet Union's influence and power.

The debate in the E.U. capitals today is both about the competence and capability of Mr. Berlusconi, who is an ardent admirer of the U.S., its Presidents and all that which goes with it.

Mr. Berlusconi takes over the E.U. presidency with some built-in advantages with the Bush administration. The Italian Government's `pro-war' stance in the Iraq conflict may be handy in healing the resentment between Europe and the Bush administration though European leaders like the French President, Jacques Chirac, and the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, have made special efforts to mend the ruptured diplomatic fences with Bush administration.

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