LACK OF ACTION MARKS EU SUMMIT.

Byline: Paul Ames Associated Press

No agreement on fighting unemployment. Britain isolated over crime-fighting. Lackluster talks with Eastern Europe. It was back to business as usual Saturday at the post-beef-war European Union.

The Florence summit, a two-day gathering of presidents and prime ministers from 15 European nations, started out strong. Leaders finalized a deal to end the three-month crisis over ``mad cow'' disease.

The agreement to phase out a ban on British beef exports - imposed after London announced a possible link between the fatal bovine disease and a fatal human malady - persuaded British Prime Minister John Major to stop blocking EU decisions requiring unanimous approval.

Still, any hopes that European harmony would follow proved premature.

Hours after the mad cow deal was sealed, Britain again stood alone over plans to set up a pan-European police unit. A compromise was reached that allows the Europol force to start up but exempts Britain from key provisions.

A plan to put some of Europe's 18 million unemployed to work with a $1.5 billion public works package was pushed off for further study by Britain, Germany and the Netherlands.

``In Florence, the European Council took note of lots of things, but decided little,'' said Klaus Haensch, president of the European Union's parliament.

German Chancellor Helmut Kohl appeared unfazed by the lack of progress: ``In Europe we go forward step-by-step, not by giant strides.''

Other officials wearily acknowledged Britain's acrimonious beef war had left everyone with a hangover.

``Because of the crisis over the mad cow disease, there's need for a new impetus and new momentum in the European family,'' Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring said.

Ireland, which takes over the EU presidency from Italy on July 1, has called a special European summit for October to carry on work left undone during the mad cow stalemate. But Irish Prime Minister John Bruton downplayed the meeting: ``We'll only talk about . . . reaching a better understanding.''

European leaders are trying to revamp the Union's founding treaty to tie members closer together and streamline decision-making procedures before bringing in new members from eastern Europe.