Brussels  - European Union leaders were set to keep a cautious stance Friday on the question of boosting emergency funds for struggling EU and world economies, calling for action without saying how much, if any, money the 27-member bloc should offer.

A draft joint statement which EU heads of state and government were set to discuss on the second day of their spring summit said that the bloc should "keep under review" the size of a fund it maintains to help EU members who do not have the euro keep their currencies stable.

Brussels  - European Union leaders Thursday rejected calls by the administration of US President Barack Obama to increase the size of their 400-billion-euro (540-billion-dollar) economic recovery plan as part of international efforts to avert a global recession.

"We heard expressions from (EU leaders) like, 'We don't wish to be dictated to by the US or by those who want more fiscal stimulus'," said Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek after an EU summit in Brussels.

Brussels  - European Union leaders clinched a deal Thursday on the use of 5 billion euros (6.9 billion dollars) in community funds to stimulate the economy, after Germany received assurances that the money would be spent by the end of 2010.

"Some of the details still have to be ironed out, but the 5- billion-euro package has been agreed in principle," a diplomat familiar with the talks told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Brussels - European Union leaders clinched a deal Thursday on spending 5 billion euros (6.8 billion dollars) in community funds, diplomats said.

The agreement was reached after the EU's biggest contributor, Germany, received assurances that the money would only be spent on projects that are capable of being implemented by 2010.

Brussels - Neither Luxembourg nor any other European Union country will feature in a possible "black list" of tax havens to be drawn up at next month's Group of 20 summit in London, diplomats in Brussels said Thursday.

Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of the tiny but wealthy grand duchy, received assurances from fellow EU leaders during a summit in the Belgian capital that his country would not be singled out.

Brussels  - European Union leaders were close to clinching a deal on the use of 5 billion euros (6.9 billion dollars) in community funds to stimulate the economy after Germany received assurances that the money would be spent by the end of 2010, sources close to the talks said Thursday.

A compromise text by the EU's Czech presidency, seen by Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, states that "due to the urgent need for the stimulus, all legal commitments implementing the budgetary commitments ... should be made before the end of 2010."