Berlusconi & Co use EU presidency to further their own interests

THINK local, act global could be the motto of some politicians when it comes to the European Union.

Everyone knew that the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, was going to be something of a bull in a china shop when he took over the rotating presidency of the EU in July.

There was also concern about the leaders of two of his coalition partners in government with right wing tendencies. The analysts were right to be concerned.

So far this presidency has come out against several of the principles underpinning the European Union.

Ministers have been racist, anti-immigrant, and have displayed a lack of concern for human rights.

Mr Berlusconi and his government have expressed their own opinions and beliefs time and again, despite the fact that they were supposed to be representing the EU member states.

The last week has been something of a watershed in this disdain for the agreed positions of the Union.

First there was the sight of Mr Berlusconi lauding Vladimir Putin over his actions against the Muslim Chechens despite the Union’s deep and well-founded concern for Russia’s breaching human rights in its war with this country.

Then the Italian media tycoon praised Mr Putin for his handling of the KGB-style arrest of oil baron Mikhail Khodorkovsky on charges of embezzlement and tax evasion.

Now to add insult to injury, Mr Berlusconi and some of his government colleagues are using the tragic Middle Eastern conflict for their own national interests.

Mr Berlusconi has been trying to block the EU condemning the Israeli’s offensive treatment of Marc Otto, the EU’s representative in the Middle East because he has meetings with the Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat. In this he was siding with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who believes nobody should meet Mr Arafat.

And in yet another bizarre turn, deputy prime minister Gianfranco Fini, who is head of the National Alliance party which evolved from the neo-fascist National Socialist Movement, has announced he agrees with the so-called security fence being erected by the Israeli’s. None of this is in line with official EU thinking.

The tragedy is that Mr Fini, on his visit to Israel, is being seen to use the opportunity not to further peace in the Middle East but to rehabilitate himself and his party in Italy.