Tuesday February 10, 09:47 AM
EU summit called to reject protectionism: Czech presidency
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BRUSSELS (AFP) - An EU crisis summit at the end of the month has been called to address the danger of protectionism, the EU's Czech presidency said Tuesday.
"The presidency thinks that the biggest risk at the moment is the risk of protectionism," Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek told journalists as he arrived for a meeting with fellow EU finance ministers in Brussels.
"Some of the signals are so strong that the (Czech) PM as decided to organise a summit as soon as possible, so that heads of state and governments say a clear no to protectionnism," he added.
Announcing the summit Monday, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said: "The goal of this meeting of heads of state and government will be to examine steps taken up to now within the recovery plan and the efficiency of these steps."
He said he would fix the exact date of the summit after talks with European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday, but indicated that it would be before the end of February.
In recent days, the Czech Republic has clashed with France over trade issues.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week said car markers receiving state aid should keep production at home and even think about bringing foreign plants in the EU back to France.
His comments drew a sharp response from Topolanek, whose country is home to a number of foreign-owned car plants, including one by France's PSA Citroen Peugeot.
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