EU leaders today agreed the economy is "in the first stages of global recovery" following the downturn last year, according to a draft communique drawn up at the summit in Barcelona.
"The rapid response of economic policy, sound fundamentals, and a restoration of confidence provide a platform for that recovery," the draft document said.
"Now, these prospects need to be enhanced by a clear commitment to economic reform to increase the EU potential for growth," it said.
This follows a statement by French officials yesterday that the economic message is more upbeat than at the previous EU summit in Laeken, Belgium, in December.
After reviewing the progress made in implementing the Lisbon strategy for economic reform, the leaders concluded that "there have been important successes, but also that there are areas where progress has been too slow".
They agreed to finetune the strategy in order to ensure better implementation of the decisions already taken and of those adopted today.
PA