The Chancellor will take the chair at a Brussels meeting of EU finance ministers under the British presidency, which began at the start of the month, and will waste no time in asserting Britain’s agenda for its six-month period at the helm of 25-nation Union.

Sources close to Mr Brown indicated that he will use the occasion to set out and expand on the reformist agenda that he outlined last month in his Mansion House speech to the City.

Mr Brown is expected to emphasise his case for a flexible, more deregulated, pro-market and outward-looking Europe that confronts global challenges from the rising economic powers of China and India, rather than looking inward. He is expected to press for steps to complete the stillfragmented EU single market, with the opening up of greater competition in telecommunications, energy, utilities and financial services.

He is expected to underline Britain’s case for reform of “inefficient subsidies”, particularly those under the Common Agricultural Policy.

Later Mr Brown will try to drive home this British agenda with a statement on the floor of the European Parliament, after which he will answer questions from MEPs.

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