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Steve Chiotakis: Meanwhile, finance ministers from the European Union meet in Brussels today to talk about the global financial crisis. One of their aims: a way to deal with the fallout. From our European desk, Stephen Beard has more.

Stephen Beard: Today’s meeting will attempt to redress what many regard as an imbalance of financial power. One point of discussion will be the International Monetary Fund, which bails out economies in distress.

The French in particular are calling for a radical shake-up. They want the IMF to reflect the new economic reality, and for emerging economies like China and India to play a bigger role. This will mean a smaller role for the U.S., which has dominated the IMF since it was set up more than 60 years ago.

Phillip White is the Center for European Reform:

Phillip White: The U.S. is condemned to a period of relative decline. And the emergence of countries like China and India will at some point have to be reflected in international organizations like the International Monetary Fund.

Today’s meeting in Brussels paves the way for a bigger summit on this issue in Washington next week. Countries like China and India will attend. But major decisions are not expected until well after America’s new president takes office.

In London, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.