The EU used the social network Twitter to announce an extraordinary summit for the leaders of the 17-member eurozone on March 11.

The unscheduled summit was called by EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy to draw up a comprehensive answer to the financial debt crisis in the eurozone. Heads of state and of government are expected to decide on a range of measures aimed at boosting economic governance.

This is the second time Mr Van Rompuy, a former Belgian Prime Minister, has used Twitter to make important announcements. Last December, he tweeted the changes to the Lisbon Treaty recommended by member states with a view to set up a European Stability Mechanism – a rescue fund for the eurozone to come into force in the summer of 2013.

Although non-EU countries will not be invited to this summit, they are still expected to have a say in the final version to be agreed upon because all 27 leaders will be meeting in another summit 15 days later.

Germany and France last week mooted the idea of a Competitiveness Pact aimed at eliminating policy differences in the EU such as pensions and the retirement age, the practice of index-linking salary increases to inflation and limits on national debts.

The way this idea was put forward by the two biggest eurozone economies, which have the power to veto any decisions, is being strongly criticised by the European Commission and most member states.