Turbulent halfjaar Italiaans voorzitterschap gedomineerd door Berlusconi (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - In two days, the EU will slip gratefully out of the Italian Presidency and into the hands of what is set to be a more prosaic Ireland.

It will mark the end of a six-month stint in the second half of 2003 which has seen the European Union headed by Italy's unpredictable perma-tanned millionaire Silvio Berlusconi.

When Italian Prime Minister took over at the EU helm on 1 July, Europe was still suffering from the rifts caused by the Iraq war and was hoping to broker a deal on an EU Constitution; it needed a strong but discreet politician to pave the way.

Instead, it got Mr Berlusconi teller of poor jokes, prone to extraordinary gaffes and archenemy of fellow Italian Romano Prodi, head of the European Commission.

Starting off on the wrong foot

The whole thing started off on a bad note when Mr Berlusconi appeared before the European Parliament on 2 July for a routine introduction of his Presidency to MEPs.

Within a couple of hours he had caused diplomatic uproar by insulting a German MEP with a Nazi slur - the ensuing chaos resulted in Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cancelling his planned holiday in Italy.

But Mr Berlusconi also flouted establish European policy.

A strong ally of Israel, the Italian Prime Minister made little effort to keep to European policy of trying to play an even hand in the Middle East conflict. He visited Israel's Ariel Sharon but did not meet the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat.

Similarly, he unilaterally assured Russia that it would become a member of the European Union - something which the European Union is not remotely considering yet.

The millionaire businessman and former cruise ship crooner further cemented his good relations with Vladimir Putin by praising the Russian President's actions in the breakaway republic of Chechnya - although they have been widely condemned.

"I'm acting as President Putin's defence lawyer here, even though he hasn't asked me to", said Mr Berlusconi at a joint press conference between the two in November.

For this, he also earned himself a rare rebuke from the European Commission which normally does not pit itself against any EU Presidency.

Other were also irritated by Mr Berlusconi. "Your government's attempts to strengthen the union following divisive debates on Iraq has been totally insignificant"

"Your statements on Chechnya, your lack of initiative on the death penalty and your unconditional support to the Bush and Sharon governments have further reduced what little credibility the union has had as an international actor," said co-leader of the Greens-EFA in the European Parliament, Monica Frassoni, summing up Italy's work.

Failure of the Constitution talks

But the failure for which the Italian Presidency will be remembered will be the EU Constitution. While talks on the treaty blueprint collapsed because of a general lack of political will on the part of the member states, several diplomats were astounded by the way Mr Berlusconi handled the sensitive negotiations.

"It all seemed like a big game to him. There was no plan, no strategy behind his thinking, and we never saw a solution to the voting problem", commented one diplomat from a large country to the EUobserver.

The new voting system proposed in the European Constitution, which would essentially alter the balance of power in the European Union, was the most fiercely contested issue over which the talks eventually fell.

Mr Berlusconi had joked in the run up to the final December Summit on the Constitution that he had a solution up his sleeve with which he would tempt Spain and Poland - the main opponents to the new voting system.

This solution was never aired, according to diplomats. Instead Mr Berlusconi suggested, as the talks were becoming mired in detail: "Why don't we talk about women and football instead".

Referring to Mr Berlusconi's pre-summit claim to have a deal on voting weights, leader of the liberals Graham Watson said:

"The 'piece of paper' in Mr Berlusconi's pocket turned out to be a gelato-stained napkin with a few bad jokes scribbled on it. The President came to the IGC poorly prepared; he ignored the warnings of this house that holding back compromise proposals would produce this kind of stalemate".

Hardest work ever

Yet there were some achievements. The Italian Presidency managed to get agreement on the growth initiative - a series of infrastructure projects designed to boost the European economy.

There was also agreement on the allocation of the various EU agencies to particular member states, as well as on a directive on GMOs and on the European Space Agency.

"For this and for the strenuous efforts they have made I want to express my thanks publicly to the Italian Government - [to] both political leaders and the whole team", said Commission President Romano Prodi.

However, in the same breath the political rival also put the boot in by pointing out that the Presidency had only managed to get through 5 of the 13 pieces of legislation that the Commission had hoped it would manage.

"This is the hardest work I've ever done in my life," conceded Mr Berlusconi as he wrapped up the Presidency almost six months later - again before the European Parliament.

All the unfinished business will now fall to Ireland's Bertie Ahern who will start 2004 with thoughts of the EU Constitution, presiding over a successful enlargement and trying the kickstart the EU's flagging economy.