Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, yesterday pledged to take a more visible role in driving forward European integration in his last three years in post.

In an interview with today's FT, Prodi rejects claims that he has failed to show leadership and insists that "Europe is not losing momentum".

Prodi said his three priorities are the successful introduction of the euro, enlargement of the EU and faster liberalisation of financial services, energy and other utility markets.