The European Union's Swedish presidency is planning an extraordinary summit of EU leaders in September ahead of a meeting of the Group of 20 powers in the United States, diplomats said on Monday.
"It is likely that the summit will take place a few days before the G20," to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 24 and 25, one diplomat said, with the aim being to prepare a common EU position for the economy talks.
Another diplomat confirmed that Sweden was preparing a summit but wanted to be sure that "something substantial" would come out of it before making any announcement.
The two previous G20 meetings, in November 2008 and April this year, were also preceded by extraordinary talks between EU leaders.
Sweden has already pencilled in a meeting of the G20 finance ministers for September 2 to prepare for the US talks, which will focus on the economic crisis.