Tony Blair joins Germany's Gerhard Schroeder and France's Jacques Chirac today for a unique three-way summit.

The prime minister, suggests the FT, is heading into a "hard bout of horse-trading".

On the agenda are plans to restructure the European commission, economic liberalisation and the appointment of a new president following Romano Prodi's imminent exit.

The meeting is also being seen as evidence that the rifts created over Iraq have finally been laid to rest.

The exclusion of Italy at the trilateral is, however, believed to be unnerving Rome and Polish leaders are said to fear it could lead to the creation of an EU directorate.