4. No to protectionism and trade finance fund

The EU want G20 members to make a strong commitment to keep their markets open and avoid all forms of protectionist measures.

It called for a swift conclusion of the long-stalled Doha Round of global trade talks and support for a multilateral initiative on trade finance.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the host, has said he will propose to set up a US$100-billion global fund to provide trade finance.

5. Support to developing countries

The EU said the G20 should honor commitments to increase development assistance, meet aid-for-trade pledges and give duty-free and quota free-access to the least developed countries. The 27-nation bloc will work to enable multilateral development banks to help counter the effects of the crisis in developing countries.

Although the EU hopes to speak with one voice at the G20 London summit, there has already been some divergence among its major members.

While Germany and France firmly rejected the US call for further fiscal stimulus and stressed the top priority should be on global financial reform, Britain tends to have certain common ground with Washington.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2009)