Brown calls for European leadership at G20

Meanwhile, Brown reiterated his opposition to protectionism, which is gaining ground in the economic downturn.

"I tell you if there is anything we know from history it is that protectionism is the politics of a retreat and fear and in the end, protects no-one at all," he said.

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses the European Parliament during a debate on the forthcoming London G20 summit, in Strasbourg March 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Brown said the IMF's lending resources should be at least doubled to US$500 billion to help countries faced with a flight of capital.

Currently, several Eastern European countries are in difficulties amid the financial crisis.

Brown said his message to Eastern European members of the EU was "We will not walk away from you at your time of need, but will do all that we can to be at your side."

He said he believed that the world could for the first time agree on the big changes necessary for coordinated action "that will signal the beginning of the end for offshore tax havens and offshore centers."

Brown was in the European Parliament on the first leg of a trip that will include New York and South America, which was designed to rally support for a successful outcome of the G20 summit in London next week.

• New loan companies offer help to small enterprises
• Auditor vows to closely monitor stimulus projects
• Diplomat urges mutual trust to better China-EU ties
• Flexibility signaled on trade talks
• China boosts domestic demand, spurs growth to fight crisis
• more

• British FM: G20 needs more than empty words
• UN urges G20 to back $1t aid for poor nations
• EU leaders agree to lend 75 billion euros to IMF
• Obama calls for global action amid crisis
• IMF says clean up banks to tackle dire world crisis
• more

• Hu at G20 and APEC
• China Statistics
• 2009 NPC and CPPCC
• Chinese Economy
• World Financial Crisis
• more