Tough days ahead for UK presidency of the EU

With the bitter recriminations from last week's summit likely to reverberate for some time to come, Britain faces a diplomatic, ideological and political test when it takes over the EU presidency in just under two weeks.

The meeting of EU leaders saw prime minister Tony Blair not only estranged from the French president and the German chancellor but also from traditionally close allies such as Ireland and from the new member states - countries that normally share his free-market, less-r...