I am not so knowledgable on Berettas, but I have heard some of them have problems. I personally would pass on the 9mm and go for the .45. Even .44spl revolver is a good defense piece. I don't know if you can get SMith and Wesson out there, but the M&P series is a great buy and an excellent handgun. Also, the Sigs, while pricey, are hard to beat in quality and accuracy. If you need a budget European gun that has some real quality and is not far from your geogrphic location, check out the CZ series guns. They are from Czech Republic, I believe, and am told, rival some of the better companies out there. If you can, look for a .45 CZ series semi auto pistol as your carry piece and purchase a .38 snubnose hammerless revolver for a Backup gun that you can carry in your pocket.
Check it out:
http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=43http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg51-e.htm
These are pretty sweet I hear and I am thinking of getting one when I get some more money in the bank.
My 2 cents.