Italië ziet niets in een Europa van meerdere snelheden (en)

Italy has spoken out against the increasing efforts by France, Germany and the UK to co-ordinate their policies, fearing a "directoire" in the EU.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told the Italian Parliament on Thursday (22 January), "There cannot be a directoire, there cannot be a divisive nucleus which would run the risk of posing a threat to European integration".

His words come ahead of a meeting between the three countries on 18 February to agree positions before a general EU leaders' meeting in March.

Berlin, Paris and London started their public co-operation in earnest last year when an autumn meeting saw a breakthrough on defence issues; they also met in the run-up to the December Summit to co-ordinate their positions on the Constitution.

Similarly, last October saw the foreign ministers from all three countries take the lead in international affairs by travelling to Iran to ask it to accept more rigorous inspections of its nuclear programme.

Core Europe?

France and Germany have also been the most outspoken in calling for a core Europe if the failed talks on the Constitution - which collapsed during the December Summit - are not revived.

Italy, which is one of the six founding member states of the EU as well as being one of the 'large' member states has been left out - but it is not alone in expressing its concern.

Ireland - which currently holds the EU Presidency - Portugal and Denmark have also spoken out against a core Europe.

But Berlin and Paris remain convinced of the importance of the Franco-German motor and the need for some member states to give direction to the Union.

Speaking to the Financial Times Deutschland, the German Europe minister Hans-Martin Bury said "Europe needs pioneers".

We are aiming to build bridges which all can use, continued the minister.

Also seeking to play down fears, French Europe minister Noëlle Lenoir said "It is not our intention to group national interests in Europe and thereby provoke a counter-movement".