Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warned on the eve of Wednesday's summit of German, French and British leaders that moves by Europe's big three to join forces could damage the creation of a united Europe.
"Europe must grow with everyone taking part, not by creating groups that decide for everyone else damaging the construction of Europe," Frattini told the daily la Repubblica in an interview published on Tuesday.
"I will say that Germany and France on one side and Great Britain on the other have differences that justify their need to reach an understanding. But let's be clear the summit in Berlin is born of national interests."
Wednesday's meeting in Berlin between German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair has raised fears the "Big Three" will seek to dominate the European Union once it expands in May to 25 countries.
Officials from those countries have said they will focus on economic reform and how to revamp the EU executive to make it better at steering industry policy.
A German official on Monday said fears that they wanted to form a "directoire" to drive EU business were "totally absurd".
Frattini on Tuesday said that "at Berlin, bilateral issues will be at play, not European issues".
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