Czech PM urges EU leaders not to "beggar thy neighbour"
source: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.2b0b8bd405048e19f36fa896834ca058.4c1&show_articl...
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Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek urged his fellow EU leaders Saturday on the eve of an EU summit not to divide Europe again through "beggar thy neighbour" protectionist policies as recession bites.
"Europe will only overcome the crisis if we act together in a coordinated way and if we abide by the Community rules," said Topolanek, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.
"We do not want any new dividing lines; we do not want a Europe divided along a North-South or an East-West line; pursuing a beggar-thy-neighbour policy is unacceptable," he added in a pre-summit statement.
"That the internal market remains united is of vital importance."
The leaders at the EU summit, the first of two in March dedicated to the economy, are hoping to patch over their differences and avoid a crisis of confidence in the bloc's single market.
They also to display a united front at an upcoming G20 meeting in London.
At the informal summit in Brussels on Sunday, the 27 EU heads of states and government should acknowledge "that for the fiscal stimuli adopted by the member states to be efficient it is essential to unlock the frozen credit flows," Topolanek stressed.
The summit comes amid growing fears, particularly from eastern European nations, that their western partners are putting the communal good on the back burner as they roll out protectionist state aid programmes for ailing sectors.
"Europe will only overcome the crisis if we act together in a coordinated way and if we abide by the Community rules," said Topolanek, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency.
"We do not want any new dividing lines; we do not want a Europe divided along a North-South or an East-West line; pursuing a beggar-thy-neighbour policy is unacceptable," he added in a pre-summit statement.
"That the internal market remains united is of vital importance."
The leaders at the EU summit, the first of two in March dedicated to the economy, are hoping to patch over their differences and avoid a crisis of confidence in the bloc's single market.
They also to display a united front at an upcoming G20 meeting in London.
At the informal summit in Brussels on Sunday, the 27 EU heads of states and government should acknowledge "that for the fiscal stimuli adopted by the member states to be efficient it is essential to unlock the frozen credit flows," Topolanek stressed.
The summit comes amid growing fears, particularly from eastern European nations, that their western partners are putting the communal good on the back burner as they roll out protectionist state aid programmes for ailing sectors.
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