British Prime Minister Tony Blair a socialist and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi a conservative met on Friday to further their agenda of liberalising Europe s labour market and make the continent more competitive abroad. The two leaders held talks just before lunchtime in a hilltop Renaissance palace in Rome. News reports said the two planned to talk privately in French with translators nearby in case they were needed. It was the first formal Italian-British summit since 1999 - the two have met in informal encounters before Friday s talks. In a front-page article in Milan daily Corriere della Sera Blair took pains to show that Britain regarded Italy as a key ally perhaps to dispel any doubts that London takes Rome seriously. In the article Blair wrote that Friday s meeting was a recognition given to the importance that both countries give to the close relationship between our two countries. He added that the talks would let the countries lay out their common positions in advance of next month s EU summit in Spain. Both sides he said were working to reform the labour market and to liberalise energy markets to bring down costs. The efforts by Blair and Berlusconi the British prime minister wrote were part of an overall two-year-old EU plan to create 20 m million jobs by 2010. As the meeting got under way protesters angered by the Italian government s labour and education system reforms marched throught the streets near the centre of Rome. According to COBAS the extreme left-wing union that organised the march almost 150-thousand people participated in the demonstration including workers teachers students and No Global organisations. The walkouts were part of a sustained campaign of sporadic labour actions against the reforms which include making it easier for employers to fire people. Berlusconi s government is planning to change a part of the Italian Constitution that states that people can only be fired for right reasons. The main unions are threatening the government with a general strike if it goes ahead with the labour market reform.

• published: 17 Sep 2013
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