During his 8-day official visit to Europe, The President is making an all-out effort to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA) between Korea and the European Union.

At the extended G-8 summit forum currently underway in L''Aquila, Italy, President Lee held a summit with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday, July 10 (Italy time), and agreed on the need to conclude the Korea-EU FTA negotiations. Earlier, on July 8, Lee met Polish leader Lech Kaczynski and the two leaders shared an understanding that a Korea-EU FTA will benefit both countries.

In the past, Italy and Poland were not known to be very enthusiastic about concluding the Korea-EU FTA, and this is why President Lee chose these countries as two of the destinations for his three-nation European trip.

After visiting Poland and Italy, President Lee will hold summit talks with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in Stockholm, where he plans to declare the final agreement to the negotiations for the Korea-EU FTA.

Since President Lee won the support of Poland and Italy during his summit talks with the leaders of those nations, he will have more chance to get a green light in reaching the agreement in the Korea-EU FTA in Sweden, the last destination of his European trip.

Earlier on Friday, at the Article 133 Committee meeting held in Brussels, Belgium, which determines the EU''s key trade policies, 27 EU member countries expressed support to accept the results of negotiations with South Korea on key points.