Europe - summit

European leaders get to grips with summit

Article published on the 2009-10-29 Latest update 2009-10-29 09:59 TU

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) greets Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Elysee Palace in Paris, 28 October, 2009.
(Photo: Reuters)

Freshly sworn-in Angela Merkel celebrated her second term as German chancellor on Wednesday evening by having dinner with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on the eve of a crucial European summit. The event, taking place in Brussels on Thursday, will see European leaders try to overcome deadlocks on issues such as fighting global warming and dealing with the affects of the recession. Sarkozy said that France and Germany were in "almost total" agreement on key issues.

The ratification of the controversial Lisbon treaty is another issue which will discussed.

A Prague court may rule on an appeal over the treaty’s constitutional legality next week.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus is said to have “guaranteed” he will sign, while Slovakia no longer wants a similar, retrospective opt-out clause, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Meanwhile, Sarkozy welcomed Merkel's new right-wing coalition, which plans to cut taxes to lift Germany out of the economic downturn.

"The composition and the programme of your coalition government are good news for France," said the French President.

British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is pushing his own agenda and wants targets for job creation to ensure that any economic growth is not stifled by rising public sector debt.

It is thought he will also be supporting former British PM Tony Blair in his campaign for the new position of European President.

Sweden, who currently holds the rotating EU-Presidency is hoping to make an agreement for 10 billion euros a year, from 2013, to help developing countries fight climate change ahead of the Copenhagen meeting in December.

However, it will face opposition from nine countries and in particular Poland, who wishes to make contributions "voluntary" in the near future. They want payments in relation to a complicated formula involving the level of carbon emissions.

Other items on the agenda include the creation of a new network of foreign outposts called the External Action Service - another initiative of the Lisbon treaty.