Van Rompuy to lay out crisis battle plan

Herman Van Rompuy has made his "grand entrance”, announces Le Soir. On 11 February the permanent president of the European Council is rounding up European leaders in Brussels for an informal summit with a view to reflating the European economy. He wants the EU to narrow its sights and adjust them to the current situation in each country. His battle plan also entails financial incentives for dutiful states that honour their obligations, rather than sanctions for wayward governments like Greece, which are hard to impose anyway. Finally, the ex-Belgian prime minister makes the case for an EU “economic government” to do a better job of coordinating national policies in the face of the recession. "This idea of an ‘economic government’ will please France, which has been fighting for this cause for years,” the Belgian daily adds. “However, other countries are still leery of the idea, especially Germany and Great Britain.”