Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says that plans to locate the food safety operations of the European Food Authority in Helsinki require further discussions. Speaking on Friday, Berlusconi said that the issue should be discussed with Finland's new government before any final decision can be made at the EU summit in Thessaloniki in June.

   

Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen (SDP) and David Byrne, the European Commissioner for consumer affairs, are in virtual open conflict over the issue.

   

Last week Byrne came out against an initial compromise reached between Lipponen and Berlusconi on the issue. Byrne says that Helsinki is too far away from the rest of the EU.

   

On Friday Lipponen pulled no punches in his response to Byrne's criticism, saying that an individual Commissioner cannot interfere with the issue. "Byrne can say whatever he likes, but this issue is in the hands of the Council (of member states). It would be wiser for him not to say anything", Lipponen said at a press conference after last week's EU summit.

Lipponen believes

that the long-standing dispute will be resolved at the Thessaloniki summit. In Brussels Lipponen discussed the issue with Berlusconi, as well as French President Jaques Chirac, who - according to Lipponen - gave his support to the plan.

   

Finland and Italy have been both pushing for locating the European Food Authority in their respective countries. Under the compromise, Helsinki would get the office of food safety, while Parma, Italy would get a new office focusing on food culture.