Poland’s president Lech Kaczynski and PM Donald Tusk are leaving today for the two-day EU spring summit in Brussels (archive - polskie radio).  

The European Council summit will be devoted mainly to economic matters: the plan to fight the finance crisis, stimulating employment and the reform of financial markets.  

The spring summit is seen as part of preparations for the G-20 meeting in London on April 2, when the major industrial nations will try to find a coordinated plan to put in place measures which would ensure that the financial meltdown within the global banking sector will not be repeated.

The summit is expected to dodge the issue of financial burden-sharing to fight climate change, a policy that Warsaw has been pushing for.

Leaders of the 27 nation block will also discuss continuing the policy of bringing Belarus closer to the union after human rights conditions have eased somewhat of late in that country. Poland is keen to continue the suspension of various sanctions against Minsk, including making visas available so President Lukashenko and others can travel to EU countries.

Before the summit opens Prime Minister Tusk will take part in a meeting of leaders of the European People’s Party – European Democrats, the voting bloc within the European Parliament which the ruling coalition members, Civic Platform and the Polish Peasant’s Party, are members of.  

President Lech Kaczynski is also planning to meet with the Czech president Mirek Topolanek, who is head of the EU presidency until the end of June.  

Both the PM and the president are to return back to Poland on Friday, onboard of the government plane. (pg) 

Source: PAP