Highlights

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The EU's economic strategy, climate change and aid to Haiti will be the three topics on the agenda at an informal meeting of Heads of State or Government in Brussels on 11 February convened by the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy.

On the economic front, this informal European Council should examine how to meet the short-term challenges, press ahead with the necessary structural changes to secure recovery and sustain future growth and job creation.

"Europe has a unique social model,"declared Herman Van Rompuy. "But let's be clear: if we want to continue to live the way we do, we will need greater growth in the European Union, and we must maintain the same level as the other major global economies."

Only two months after the Copenhagen Conference, European leaders will examine the lessons to be learned from this global effort and the ways in which international negotiations on the fight against global warming can be taken forward.

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, the European Union and its Member States responded swiftly to support the local population. They brought humanitarian aid to the victims of the disaster. Europe has also pledged to contribute to restoring security in the country.

Europe's leaders will consider how, after the emergency aid, the EU can work to release additional funds to support reconstruction in Haiti. They will also discuss the proposal to organise in the near future a new international conference to help the country.

Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, it is the permanent President of the European Council who prepares and leads these summits.