Only two weeks back in office, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s prime minister and media mogul, is already under fire for allegedly using parliament to promote his business interests and leading the country into conflict with Brussels over a host of issues.

Government and party officials insisted on Friday that legislation put to parliament on Thursday fulfilled EU directives on opening the Italian television market, which is dominated by three channels of the state broadcaster Rai and three by Mediaset, owned by the billionaire Berlusconi family.