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The Council will focus on:
Energy Union
At its meeting in June 2014, the European Council set energy and climate policies as one of the five priority areas to guide the EU's work over the next five years.
Leaders underlined particularly the need to lower dependency on fuel and gas imports and to build affordable, secure and sustainable energy within the EU.
European semester / growth and jobs
Heads of state or government will have an exchange of views on the economic situation and conclude the first phase of the European Semester for 2015.
They will also provide guidance to member states for the preparation of their national reforms and stability or convergence programmes.
They are also likely to take note of progress on the European Fund for Strategic Investments and the state of play in the negotiations with the US on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
External relations
EU leaders are expected to provide guidance on the objectives of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which will take place in Riga on 21-22 May 2015.
The European Council is also expected to discuss relations with Russia and the situation in Ukraine, in particular the implementation of the Minsk Agreement, and agree on possible further steps.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said on March 19, shortly before EU leaders meet in Brussels, that Greece's financial situation was "dangerous" and it needed two to three billion euros in the short term to avoid bankruptcy.
"Time is short," Schulz told Deutschlandfunk radio just hours before European Union leaders discuss Greece's bailout at their summit. "In the short term, two to three billion (euros) are needed to keep to the existing obligations," he said.
Schulz said Greece had to make further payments by the end of the month, its banks needed money and its central bank's ability to supply funds was almost exhausted.
"So it would be good if Greece fulfils the obligations that it has agreed to - then further money will flow," said Schulz.
"The willingness of the Greek government to cooperate must improve," he said, when asked about reports that Greece was holding back information from its euro zone peers on its progress with reforms.