Romano Prodi related content 

Mario Monti is not following a well-trodden path. The appointment of Mario Monti as Italy's prime minister is a departure from the norm not just for Italian politics, but...

Germany's leaders face a tough test of their commitment to the euro. The euro is a monetary arrangement, not a religion. So it is entirely appropriate for all eurozone...

Stefano Sannino will replace Michael Leigh. The European Commission has appointed Stefano Sannino as director-general of the enlargement department. Sannino, an Italian who...

Former national leaders sign up for a lucrative job. Apart from being on Europe's political scrap-heap, what links Alfred Gusenbauer, a former chancellor of Austria, Gerhard...

UK prime minister persuaded the leaders of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland to back his call. One of the outcomes of the summit that had not been on the agenda...

Economist and banker mourned as "great European". Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, a former finance minister of Italy, member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, and...

Former prime ministers and presidents call on the EU to do more to make Israel freeze settlement policy A group of 26 former of former presidents, prime ministers, and...

Leading economists say mechanism is needed to cope with serious market disruption. Germany has come under increased pressure to agree to the EU setting up a permanent...

Tony Blair devouts much more space in his prime ministerial memoir to New Labour, Northern Ireland, the 2012 Olympics, Iraq and terrorism than to the EU. We distil the EU...

Appointments mark an upgrading of the importance attached to the heads of representation. Anne Houtman, a Belgian national, has been appointed to head the European...

Senior appointments in the Council of Ministers. William Shapcott, a British official, is about to be appointed director-general for personnel and administration in the...

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has announced the first major reshuffle of senior Commission officials since the start of his second mandate. As...

Luigi die Magistri's Mafia-hunting takes him to Brussels. Luigi de Magistris is a popular man. He takes pride in the fact that more people voted for him – more than...

European Council president chooses a library for his first meeting of national government leaders. The venue for next Thursday's informal European summit is to be the...

Stephen Wall, a former adviser to Tony Blair, on why having a high-profile personality as European Council president is not necessarily a good idea. One of the architects of...

A long and distinguished history of botching important appointments. The European Council has a long and distinguished history in botching appointments to the European...

EU leaders have to learn to live with democracy, however uncomfortable it may be. Democracy is occasionally inconvenient, but that does not mean it can be dispensed with....

A Belgian-German face-off? Expect an entertaining struggle for the leadership of the Liberal group in the next European Parliament. The leader of the Alliance of Liberals...

Public consultation adds support for flexibility; cuts in farming sector funds expected. Dalia Grybauskaite, the European budget commissioner, is straining at the bit. 

One London job that may not attract applicants. Reijo Kemppinen once appeared to have an insatiable appetite for punishment. Having just about survived the unenviable task...