BRUSSELS (AFX) - European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso called on EU member states to end protectionism and to adopt a common policy on energy.
'We cannot be open for business to the rest of the world and be closed to each other,' Barroso said at a news conference after EU leaders debated proposals for a common energy policy at the opening of their two-day summit here.
Tensions over signs of protectionism in the energy sector in particular threaten to overshadow the meeting aimed at finalising an EU energy policy and speeding up the pace of economic reform.
Italy has accused France of engineering a merger in order to block a takeover bid by Enel SpA for Suez.
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is seeking re-election next month, has been widely expected to force the issue onto the summit agenda.
But Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said the question of protectionism 'didn't come up' in today's session.
'The debate was uncontroversial to a large extent but many ambitions were expressed,' Schuessel said.
Barroso said leaders gave 'a clear yes' to the notion of a common energy policy.
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet spoke to leaders on developements in the euro zone economy 'with relation to American and 'sian countries', he said.
'It was extremely interesting in my view,' he said without elaborating. afxbrussels@afxnews.com vm COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
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