BRUSSELS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) are gathering here Thursday for a two-day summit to try to break the deadlock concerning the Lisbon Treaty, tackle rocketing unemployment and strengthen financial supervision.

    Financial and economic issues are on top of the agenda of the summit, to be chaired by Czech Prime Minister and President of the European Council Jan Fischer.

    Facing swelling joblessness across the EU, the leaders are expected to approve a proposal -- A Shared Commitment for Employment -- by the European Commission (EC), the executive body of the EU, to boost employment.

    Key measures include safeguarding jobs, upgrading training and providing support for business and industry via a European microcredit program.

    The Commission proposes that 19 billion euros (26.41 billion U.S. dollars) be earmarked from the European Social Fund to support employment boosting projects by EU member states in 2009-2010.

    EC President Jose Manuel Barroso urged member states' leaders to endorse the proposal and "take tangible steps to keep people in employment, maintain viable jobs and help unemployed people back into work."

    The summit will also discuss the Commission's proposal for a pan-European system of financial supervision to avoid reoccurrence of similar crises in the future, including the creation of three pan-European watchdogs and a European Systemic Risk Board that would monitor risks to economic stability.

    The new watchdogs will monitor countries to make sure that they introduce the new rules.

    As Britain has worried that a pan-European banking supervision could diminish national powers to regulate its financial industry, the summit is expected to relieve London of its worries.

    On institutional issue, leaders of the EU member states are to express support at the meeting for 53-year-old Barroso for a second term in the next five years as EC president.

    As Barroso is the sole candidate for the post, he is mostly likely to get the support he wants, as the Portuguese incumbent conservative has already received conditional support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

    On the eve of the summit, Barroso wrote to the EU heads of state and government to set out his policy ambitions for the next five years.

    Building on the statement he made on June 9 when he announced his agreement for his name to go forward for a second mandate, Barroso set out some of the key principles that he intends to pursue should he be nominated by heads of state and government and approved by the European Parliament.

    His reappointment could be in mid-July when the new European parliament meets for the first time after elections, in which the center right European People's Party won as the biggest grouping.

    On the troubled Lisbon Treaty, leaders are expected to agree on a number of legally-binding guarantees in order to persuade Irish voters to back the treaty.

    Ireland, which rejected the treaty in a referendum last year, is preparing to hold another referendum on the treaty later this year.

    Preparing for "a successful and ambitious" Copenhagen deal on climate change is another topic at the summit.

    The commission hopes the summit would make progress in stepping up its financial contribution to help developing countries in the fight against global warming.

    On illegal migration, Barroso has called for a debate at the European Council on how the EU could take immediate action to help relieve the pressure on some member states in the Mediterranean region.

    He said the European Council conclusions should recognize that these are EU problems requiring solidarity and cooperation from all member states.