EU leaders will hold another summit in Brussels in late January or early February to discuss economic growth and jobs as the 27-nation bloc heads into a "quasi-recession," European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said on Thursday. "I informed this morning the 27 member states that I will convene a meeting of the European Council by the end of January, beginning of February," Van Rompuy told a news conference. Germany and France called on Wednesday for an extra meeting to discuss growth at a time when the 17-nation euro zone looks likely to enter recession in the last quarter of this year. EU leaders last met on Dec. 8-9, when they agreed to forge closer fiscal integration among the euro zone. "I think in times of stagnation, in times of even quasi-recession, it is very important to have those topics on the agenda and not only speaking on fiscal consolidation," Van Rompuy said. Last week's summit failed to reassure investors that the euro zone is any closer to resolving its debt crisis. There are also growing concerns that policymakers' focus on cutting spending in order to rapidly reduce deficits is making it harder to stimulate growth and create jobs.

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