The European Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, has insisted he would not be diverted from his vision of an enlarged Europe by a spate of letter bomb attacks.
Two letter bombs exploded at the offices of MEPs yesterday, one in the Brussels office of the German leader of the centre-right grouping in parliament - which includes Fine Gael - and the other in the constituency bureau of a British Labour Party member in Manchester.
There were no injuries. Belgian police said another seven suspect packages were intercepted.
Mr Prodi has been targetted at least twice by the bombers. Parcel bombs have been sent to European Central Bank head Jean-Claude Trichet, EU police agency Europol and Eurojust, which helps fight cross-border crime.
Mr Prodi, speaking this afternoon at a press conference with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern following a meeting of the European Commission in Dublin, admitted he was concerned at the attacks. "I had a personal experience and I tell you...I am calm, I was not frightened, but it was not a good experience, really," he said.
"These hostile attacks on European institutions make me worried," Mr Prodi added. "I hope this will stop soon as I feel this has been something that doesn't give a sense that we must have a democracy."
Italian police said today the Bologna-based group they believe to be responsible, the Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI), may have some 350 members in Italy but lacks structure.
The Italian Interior Ministry has said Rome will lead a multinational task force to investigate the bombs. It will probe anarchist movements in several countries.
A European Commission spokesman said all commissioners had been given the option of having their home mail scanned before delivery, but not all had taken up the offer.
Additional reporting: Reuters
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