Czech PM urges EU leaders not to ‘beggar-thy-neighbour’

In the run-up to the summit, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek called upon fellow European leaders not to divide the bloc by implementing ‘beggar-thy-neighbour’ protectionist policies. In the statement released on Saturday, Mr Topolánek said that Europe would only be able to overcome the current financial crisis if member states ‘acted together in a coordinated way’. He urged EU leaders to continue to abide by Community rules, even as recession deepened. The Czech prime minister warned that a Europe divided along North-South or East-West lines was ‘unacceptable’ and to be avoided. Mr Topolánek did, however, call the bail-out packages implemented by individual EU member states ‘essential’, saying it was through such bail-outs that frozen credit flows would be unlocked.