Greece's new finance minister is meeting with the country's international creditors to discuss details of an austerity package, as European Union leaders are expected to focus on the Greek debt crisis.

Evangelos Venizelos met Thursday with inspectors from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund to discuss the austerity bill, which must be passed by parliament next week if the country is to receive crucial bailout funds.

Greece's creditors are demanding Greek lawmakers back fresh budget cuts and taxes by the end of June. Only then will they pay the next installment of loans, worth $17 billion, from last year's promised $160-billion bailout funds.

Greek unions on Thursday called for a two-day general strike next week against the $40-billion austerity package, the latest in sometimes violent protest actions against austerity measures.

In Brussels, EU leaders are looking for economic reform from Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's government, which won a crucial confidence vote in parliament Wednesday.

Eurozone governments will decide on July 3 if Greece has moved far enough ahead with the sharp economic reforms to receive more funding.

While no formal decision on Greece is expected at the EU summit, financial markets will monitor the gathering for any message it sends on whether the EU bailout plan can work.

U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday said much more than the future of Greece is at stake, adding failure to resolve the debt crisis in Greece could threaten the global financial system.