TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY meets with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta in Dublin today.

The Italian premier visits the capital today on EU business ahead of next month’s European Council meeting and Ireland’s formal exit from its EU/IMF bailout in December.

Italy takes over the EU presidency in June of next year so Letta may seek advice from Kenny on presidency issues following Ireland’s term at the head of the EU in the first six months of this year.

The government said yesterday that the two premiers will discuss banking union, youth unemployment and Irish-Italian cooperation on EU issues.

This will be the second direct meeting between Letta and Kenny after they held bilateral discussions in Rome last June, just a few months after the moderate left winger surprisingly took office following months of political stalemate in Italy.

Since then Letta, a pro-European who drove to his nomination meeting in his own Fiat minivan, has seen off political rival and erstwhile premier Silvio Berlusconi in a key parliamentary confidence vote, bolstering his premiership.

There’s something about Enda: Taoiseach ‘being seriously talked about’ for EU job

Read: Italy’s next PM drives to nomination meeting in his own Fiat minivan