Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will attend another EU summit in May focusing on energy, a central plank of his electoral platform.

"Europe needs investment in modern energy infrastructure and the challenge of high energy prices which hamper competitiveness needs to be tackled," according to today's conclusions of the European Council.

"Work is ongoing on the completion of the Internal Energy Market and on interconnections with European energy markets. No EU member state should remain isolated from the European gas and electricity networks after 2015."

The energy debate will be the first of five "thematic discussions" on sectoral and structural aspects that are key to economic growth and European competitiveness which will be scheduled throughout the year.

The Council, which is meeting in Brussels, has focused on youth unemployment and economic growth, calling for "differentiated, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation", restoring normal lending, promoting competitiveness and modernising public administration.

It  also called for renewed efforts to improve the efficiency of tax collection and tackle tax evasion, while shifting taxation away from labour to increase employability and competitiveness.

The European Council gave specific emphasis to youth unemployment, praising the Youth Guarantee agreed on in February to ensure that all young people receive good quality employment, education or traineeship within four moths of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.

"Work must also continue more generally further to the Employment package, including as regards bringing significantly more women into work, reducing long term unemployment and ensuring full participation of older workers," said the conclusions.

The Council also called for the simplification of rules to reduce the cost of regulation and avoid additional burdens to the implementation of EU legislation, another area which was given importance in Dr Muscat's electoral campaign and Cabinet formation.