(VOVworld) – Balancing strict austerity and economic recovery policies were high on the agenda at the on-going EU summit in Brussels. While Germany continued to demand strict austerity measures, considering it the best way to ensure real growth, France and some other member countries wished to ease some measures in order to reduce social hardship. Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, said that although the worst period of the debt crisis had passed, EU leaders still needed to discuss further methods to ensure social stability. He said it was time to speed up growth in all areas.