EU to Meet on Economic Recovery - Crucial for Property Markets

The European Parliament and Czech Republic Parliament are to hold a two day joint parliamentary meeting this month aimed at kick-starting job creation and economic recovery in the EU. In attendance at the meeting will be MEPs and MPs from the 27 EU member states as well as from candidate countries.

The first day, Feb 16, will include speeches from: Joaquín Almunia, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, and Miroslav Kalousek, Finance Minister of the Czech Republic. Parliament's rapporteurs on the Lisbon Strategy, Klaus Heine Lehne (EPP-ED, DE) and Edit Herzog (PES, HU) will also take the floor,

The speeches will be followed by all attendees splitting into 3 working groups to focus on:

• Competitive Europe: promoting investment, entrepreneurship and SMEs
• Social Europe: creating jobs, fighting poverty, ensuring free movement
• Sustainable Europe: economic development and climate challenge

The reports from the three working groups will be presented by José Manuel Garcia-Margallo (EPP-ED, ES), Lubomir Zaorálek (Czech Chamber of Deputies) and Carina Adolfsson Elgestam (Swedish Riksdag), as the first order of business on day two.

The MEPs and MPs will then be addressed by Allan Larsson, Chair of Lund University, after which Pierre Lequiller (French National Assembly) and Lars Elinderson (Swedish Riksdag) will speak on the national economic recovery plans.

Finally, Czech Prime Minister and President-in-office of the European Council Mirek Topolánek will speak with Commission President José Manuel Barroso, before the debate is opened.

Economic recovery throughout the EU is thought to be central to property markets throughout the region, and possibly other parts of the world if its recovery can kick-start overseas investment by EU citizens and organisations in any significant way.