This WEEK in the European Union

Eurozone and EU finance ministers are convening in Brussels on Monday (15 February) and Tuesday to discuss the Greek debt crisis in the wake of last week's summit.

The meeting could have a tense atmosphere after Greece over the weekend attacked EU colleagues for creating a "self-fulfilling prophecy" on the risk of a sovereign default and cast doubt on whether it would accept further austerity measures.

EU leaders at the summit last week promised to bail out Greece if needed in order to prevent a run on the euro. But Germany voiced strong criticism over the way Athens has managed its finances.

The finance ministers will also discuss the future of the stability and growth pact, a set of fiscal rules for EU countries that has been widely flouted during the economic downturn.

EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy's ideas on a new 10-year growth plan for the bloc and the impact of the services directive on the single market will be on the agenda as well. The law helps workers from low-cost EU countries in the former Communist Bloc to ply their trade in old member states.

The bulk of other EU activity will take place outside Brussels in the coming days.

EU development ministers will meet in La Granja, Spain, on Wednesday, together with a top US aid official, Rajiv Shah.

Haiti reconstruction will be high on the agenda of the informal event after the EU last week pledged to give police assistance to the US-led relief effort. Broader US-EU aid co-operation will also be examined at the talks.

The EU's foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton, will on Wednesday begin a trip to Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo. Ms Ashton's first major foreign engagement will see her try to tackle the threat of secession by Bosnian Serbs and Serbia's support for separatist movements in Kosovo.

An 11-strong delegation of MEPs will start a three day visit to Israel on Monday. The deputies will meet with Israeli deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon and visit the Kerem Shalom crossing point to Gaza.

The European Parliament has attacked Israeli authorities for blocking aid to Gaza and preventing MEPs from visiting the strip.

Two other EU parliament missions will also visit political hotspots in Europe.

A delegation to Moldova on Tuesday will discuss prospects for the breakaway Transniestria region with the country's new, pro-EU government. The rebel leaders on Monday called for Russia to build a new missile base on their turf.

Seven MEPs, including Greek centre-right deputy Georgios Koumoutsakos, will on Wednesday go to Skopje. The leader of the EU accession candidate country, Nikola Gruevski, said on Monday he wants to hold bilateral talks with his Greek counterpart to resolve a long-standing row over the country's name, which is also the name of a bordering Greek province.