'Very challenging agenda' as EU finance ministers meet for talks
Shoring up Europe's banking sector and strengthening oversight of economic policies are the issues at the top of the agenda during a meeting of EU finance ministers that is expected to expose divisions among the continent's powers.
Weakness in the banking sector and inadequate monitoring of national budgets were prime causes of Europe's three-year financial crisis.
Fixing those areas is crucial not only to ending the current crisis but also preventing a repeat.
The Cypriot finance minister, Vassos Shiarly, who is chairing the meeting, said it had "a very challenging agenda".
The officials are discussing the set-up of an EU banking union overseen by a single supervisor, as well as increasing capital requirements for banks.
They are also debating the sensitive topic of how to more closely monitor the draft budgets of EU members and correct excessive deficits.
The discussions, however, are expected to be contentious and highlight once again the difference in views among Europe's biggest powers on fundamental issues.
Britain, France and Germany disagree on how to oversee their banking sectors.
On Monday, ministers from the 17 countries that use the euro failed to agree on how to put Greece's bailout programme back on track.
The discussions come at a time when European leaders think they are at long last beginning to emerge from the financial crisis, with market turmoil subsiding in recent months.
"The worst is behind us, although we can't be entirely certain," Italian premier Mario Monti said.
But while financial markets may have improved, the economy is in a poor state, and deteriorating.
Mr Monti warned that European leaders need to act quickly to spur growth, the key ingredient that has been lacking in much of the continent as it tries to get its finances back in balance.
Official figures due later this week are expected to show the eurozone fell into recession - technically defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction - in the third quarter.
Another unresolved issue in Europe's crisis is how to get Greece's public debt down so the country can eventually survive without bailout loans.
On Monday, the eurozone finance ministers failed to approve a new instalment of bailout money for Greece.
The discussion faltered over a disagreement between the EU and the International Monetary Fund - two of Greece's three creditors - on the timeline for bringing Greece's debts down to a manageable level.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, wants to give Greece until 2022 to reduce its debt to 120% of gross domestic product, but the IMF wants to stick to the original deadline of 2020.
Eurozone officials will hold another meeting on November 20 to hash out a compromise, which must come before Greece gets its next batch of loans.
The meeting did agree to give Greece until 2016 - that is two more years - to make the reforms necessary to right its economy and begin reducing its debts, but Greece's creditors still have to decide how they will pay for the extension.
German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that Greece's lenders would not necessarily have to hand over more cash to plug the hole.
He suggested that it could be filled by lowering the interest rates of the loans.
He ruled out, however, asking eurozone countries to accept losses on their loans - as some have suggested might be necessary to reduce Greece's debt burden.
