12/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - MEP Bernard Poignant has written to Silvio Berlusconi about the upcoming Italian Presidency, saying it would be "appreciated" if the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, were to chair the European Council during the Italian Presidency because at the current time, and probably in the months to come as well, citizens are seeing their next Chairman at loggerheads with the justice system of his country and even trying to escape from it. The French Socialist went on to explain that this situation would be a burden to the whole of Europe and suggested a possible solution - the treaties foresee that summits can be chaired by heads of state or government, leaving it to the country concerned to decide who will represent it.