ITALY: Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi yesterday said the first EU constitution, which European Union leaders approved last month, will be signed on November 20th in Rome.
"The signing of the constitutional treaty will be in Rome on November 20th," he said at a joint press conference with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris.
It had already been announced that the historic treaty would be signed in November, but an exact date had not been set. The decision was a boost for Mr Berlusconi, who led an unsuccessful effort to clinch agreement on a first charter for the enlarged 25-nation bloc last year.
Meanwhile, the German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has thrown his weight behind European Commissioner Günter Verheugen, the man Germany wants to see responsible for economic policy in the next Commission.
"Nobody, nobody at all would understand if he were denied work in the Commission," Mr Schröder told the lower house of parliament.
The first team of commissioners to tackle the enlarged EU will be appointed by November by Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso, nominated as the next Commission president.
Mr Verheugen has been in charge of EU enlargement for the past five years, overseeing expansion of the bloc eastwards to include 10 mainly former communist nations on May 1st.
"He has achieved excellent results in the past years. He is a major and outstanding European," Mr Schröder said.
Mr Schröder repeated the idea of creating an economic "super commissioner", which Germany, France and Britain have proposed, but stressed the decision lay in the hands of Mr Barroso.
"It is appropriate to state requests," Mr Schröder added.
Earlier this week, diplomats said there was strong speculation that Mr Barroso had privately pledged to Mr Schröder that he would appoint Mr Verheugen as "super commissioner".
Germany has two commissioners, Mr Verheugen and Budget Commissioner Dr Michaele Schreyer, but will be down to one in the next Commission.
The EU Commission will propose reopening Turkish Cypriot ports closed to international trade for 30 years when it unveils plans next week to end the isolation of Northern Cyprus.
But it was unclear whether the Greek Cypriot government, which represents Cyprus in the European Union, would accept them.