British Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying to Rome today for talks with Italian premier Mr Silvio Berlusconi.
Mr Blair will seek Italian support for his plan - already agreed by France and Germany - to appoint an EU Commission vice-president charged with speeding up economic reform.
The two leaders are meeting ahead of the next European summit later this month, and following Mr Blair's talks last month with French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin.
Under the new Irish presidency of the EU, Britain is determined that economic issues should return to the top of the agenda, following the collapse of talks on a European constitution.
If Italy joins the push for an EU economic reform "czar", then the momentum for such a post to be created would probably become unstoppable.
The new vice-president would be charged with ensuring the last remaining obstacles to a European single market, in energy and telecoms, are removed and give their ruling on how any other new European directives would impact on business.
Mr Blair will fly in for talks over lunch with Mr Berlusconi at his central Rome offices later today and return home this evening.
The two leaders were also expected to discuss whether the issue of an EU constitution could profitably be reopened in the next six months, after foundering on the issue of voting rights for smaller countries.