Rome - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday Italy will push for the acceptance of the European Union's reform treaty by all its members.

"From our part, we will indicate for the approval of the European Union's treaty by all the remaining 26 member states, besides Ireland," Berlusconi said.

"The 27th (member state), Ireland, will have to present its own solution," he added, referring to last week's referendum in which Ireland rejected the Treaty of Lisbon.

Berlusconi made the remarks - his first clear stance on the Treaty of Lisbon since the result of the Irish vote - at an assembly in Rome of Confcommercio, Italy's main traders and retailers' grouping.

Earlier Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said the government hoped Italy's parliament would ratify the Treaty of Lisbon by the end of July.

Berlusconi, who was re-elected Italian premier in April - his previous five-year long stint in office ended in 2006 - also criticized current EU leaders for what he said were "backward steps," in his speech to Confcommercio.

Referring to a EU summit beginning in Brussels later Thursday Berlusconi said: "I return to Europe ... and I find it different compared to two years ago when it had people like (former British prime minister) Tony Blair, (former Spanish premier Jose Maria) Aznar, (former French president Jacques) Chirac and myself."

"With the change of names Europe has lost character, the ability to be a protagonist and has taken backward steps," Berlusconi said.

"Also, thanks to its enlargement process, the European Union seems to be an institution which intervenes by imposing obligations and restrictions," he told the Confcommercio assembly.

Berlusconi also expressed dismay with the workings of the European Commission, which has probed the Italian government's plans to financially assist state-controlled airline, Alitalia, while some of its members have criticized Rome's immigration policies

"One of the first things I'll ask is for the European Commission to express itself in a different and reserved manner," towards the governments of members states, Berlusconi said.

"We must never again witness on a weekly basis expressions of opinion by commissioners which end up giving ministers (of member states') a lot to do," Berlusconi said. (dpa)