The acceptance by Portuguese prime minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of the post of EU Commission president was the final plaudit for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the end of an extraordinarily successful presidency of the EU.

A major agreement on a civilian satellite network was signed this morning at the EU-US summit at Dromoland Castle, Co Clare.

US President George Bush was due to hold talks in Ireland today in a bid to repair relations between Washington and the EU, which had been damaged by differences over the war in Iraq.