"Confronted by the current financial crisis, the member states of the European Union are proving they can join forces to give strength to our economic system, so as to protect the citizens". Josè Manuel Barroso, president of the EU Commission, arrived at the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, where the Council of Europe is based, for the summit which will have to tackle the economic emergency, the Lisbon Treaty, the Pact for immigration and asylum, and the energy issue. Items on the agenda include several foreign-policy issues, including the situation in Georgia and relations with Russia. Barroso invites the heads of state and government of the 27 member states to adopt the package of measures for the environment and energy, so as to proceed to a productive system with lower greenhouse-gas emissions. However, such measure is challenged by the delegates of the European businesses and some governments. The many points on the agenda of the summit have attracted a particularly high number of journalists: the summit actually received over 1,900 applications for accreditation from the five continents.
