Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is in Brussels on Thursday with other  European leaders attending a European Union Council summit that is meant to tackle the challenge of getting economic growth back on track while reining in the worst public debts in Europe for decades.

The EU 2020 agenda that has replaced the Lisbon strategy document is the highlight of the leaders’ summit. In comments to journalists in Brussels, the Prime Minister said Malta agrees in principle with the EU 2020 strategy but is not in favour of a one-size-fits-all approach because economic and national circumstances differed amongst member states.

Dr Gonzi, who also attended a meeting of leaders of the European Peoples Party late on Wednesday, said that every member state should be free to meet targets at their own pace. He singled out poverty reduction and increasing women’s participation in the labour market as high priorities for Malta. 

The EU2020 strategy will be a key political reference point in the coming years and aims to push for more jobs and sustainable development in Europe.

The summit comes amid particular concern about public finances in Spain, the fifth biggest eurozone economy. EU leaders are intent on preventing contagion from the Greek budget crisis.

The summit is chaired by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and marks the end of the Spanish Presidency of the EU. The forthcoming G20 summit in Toronto, the Millennium Development Goals, illegal immigration and climate change are also on the agenda of the summit.

    Netvibes ShareFacebookTwitterDiggStumbleUponDeliciousBlogger PostYahoo MailAOL MailHotmailGmailGoogle BookmarksMySpaceShare/Bookmark

Related Articles: