The future of the euro zone, new architecture of economic governance in the European Union and discussions on the sources of economic growth are main topics of the European Council’s deliberations on Brussels on 23rd October.

On 23rd October, a meeting of the European Council is taking place in Brussels. The Polish Presidency will be represented in the Council forum by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski.

Due to be discussed at the one-day meeting of European Union heads of state and government are decisions affecting the future of the euro zone, in particular anti-crisis measures and a new methodology for managing the common currency.

The European Council is also due to address the Polish Presidency’s ideas to permanently step up economic growth. The basis of discussion will be the Polish Presidency’s report, submitted at the start of October, which indicated the areas (e.g. human capital, internal market, e-economy and regional policy) in which the European community has development potential.

Sunday’s summit of European leaders will also deal with matters such as the European Union’s position at the forthcoming G20 Summit as well as preparations for the Climate Conference in Durban.

As the country currently holding the EU Council chairmanship, Poland is actively involved in preparing Sunday’s EU summit. As part of those preparations, meetings of the Ecofin Council and the General Affairs Council have been called for Saturday, the latter being an extraordinary meeting. Invited to take part in the deliberations are European Council Chairman Herman Van Rompuy and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.

‘The Presidency will do everything to ensure that the main players in the euro zone debate reach a common view as swiftly as possible. Our task will be to help those countries that are bearing the brunt of the search for solutions in the euro zone to reach an agreement,’ Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday with regards to preparations for the European Council. ‘We realise that the dramatic events in the euro zone will also have direct and immediate consequences for states outside the euro zone’.

Also with a view to the forthcoming meeting of EU heads of state and government, Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday met German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Both Prime Minister Tusk and the German Chancellor emphasised their will for the European Council and Euro Group deliberations (on Sunday and Wednesday) to agree on decisions that will stabilise the situation on financial markets.