Friday July 3, 2009
EU may hold extra summit ahead of G20 - Swedish PM
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - European Union president Sweden said on Friday it may hold an extra meeting of EU leaders before a G20 summit in September if other governments feel it is necessary and there are enough issues to be discussed.
"We...want to coordinate our views for the upcoming G20 meeting in the autumn," Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt told a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy talks at a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (R) in Stockholm July 3, 2009. (REUTERS / SCANPIX/ Janerik Henriksson) |
An extra so-called Council of the leaders of the 27-nation bloc could be held in Brussels in September in the run-up to the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh later that month if member states felt there was a need, a spokeswoman for the prime minister said.
Reinfeldt told journalists on the sidelines of the news conference that no decision had been taken yet on holding a summit and that any meeting should have enough substantial matters on the agenda to ensure full participation.
"I have mentioned that I believe any summits called should have substance and not lead to some leaders staying at home and choosing not to come," he said.
"That will be the basic premise for me and for those I speak to and this is of course something I will be doing with very many member states before finally coming together on a decision."
Sarkozy told the news conference that France would back a move by Sweden, which assumed the six-month EU presidency earlier this week, to hold a summit.
"We are going to support Sweden, and if Mr. Reinfeldt thinks it would be a good idea to get together to prepare the Pittsburgh meeting of course France would fully support this initiative," Sarkozy said.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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