Italian PM counts his summit bargaining chips

The Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is to delay the final decision on whether his country joins the pan-European Airbus A400M military transport aircraft project until he sees what gains Italy can gain from the European Council meeting to be held in Laeken on 14-15 December 2001. Mr Berlusconi told a meeting in Rome on 5 December 2001 that the military decision was dependent on negotations over who should head the EU Convention on Constitutional Reform and where the EU's new food agency should be situated (Italy has proposed Parma for its headquarters).