EUROPEAN UNION: CONSTITUTION SIGNED IN ROME.

Barroso consults.

On the eve of the ceremony, Mr Barroso had an informal dinner with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, current President of the European Council. After the signing, Barroso had lunch with all the EU heads of state and government where he told them about the frantic sequence of events earlier in the week in Strasbourg. Between them, they will need to agree which Commissioner-designates will be moved to which portfolio and how many if any will have to resign. As Europe Information was going to press, no details of the discussions had emerged.

Historic ceremony.

Italian Premier Silvio Mr Berlusconi insisted that the ceremony take place in his capital city: "The constitution could not be signed anywhere but Rome" he said. The leaders and foreign ministers of the 25 EU Member States and candidate countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey signed the text. The top places were reserved for Mr Berlusconi and Prime Ministers of Ireland Bertie Ahern and the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende, the three most recent EU Presidency incumbents.

Mr Berlusconi launched the...