The European Union’s top executive says he is confident that Europe will not slip back into a second recession.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso offered the assurance Monday in Canberra after holding talks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. He said the common European currency remains strong and the region’s leaders are facing their problems head on.

Global markets have been slumping – due in large measure to slow jobs growth in the United States and mounting worries about debt problems in Europe, especially in Greece. But Mr. Barroso said EU analysts still are forecasting slow but steady economic growth on the continent.

Mr. Barroso is in Australia on his way to a Pacific Islands Forum in New Zealand later this week.