Prodi also called for a re-start of discussions on the European constitution, with the new version put to the vote in a referendum at the same time as the 2009 EU parliament elections.
The constitution has been ratified by 14 member states so far, but hit a stumbling block when it was rejected last year by referendums in France and the Netherlands.
The Sunday Times noted that Prodi had Beethoven's Ode to Joy, the chosen European anthem, as his mobile telephone's ringtone.
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Italy's return to abortive governments and political paralysis
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