INVITATION LETTER
It is my pleasure to invite you to the meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 16 and 17
December 2010.
After our traditional meeting with the President of the European Parliament, we will focus on the
main issue on our agenda: the limited amendment to the Treaty in order for a permanent mechanism
to be established by the Member States of the euro area to safeguard the financial stability of the
euro area as a whole. I sent you last week the conclusions I draw from the consultations held with
all Member States, in particular as regards the parameters of such a Treaty change. In the light of
this, a draft decision of the European Council has been prepared and circulated to all Member
States. We need to reach an agreement on a draft decision at our meeting in order for procedures to
be launched as fast as possible, both at the EU and national levels, so that this decision can enter
into force on 1 January 2013.
Our dinner will allow us also to have an exchange of views on economic developments in the
presence of the President of the European Central Bank, who will also attend our afternoon session.
On Friday morning, the High Representative will brief us on recent work on strategic partners and
we should take a decision on Montenegro's application for candidate status, before we finalise our
conclusions.