(PARIS) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday he expected to see renewed confidence in the banking system "in the next few days", after meeting with European leaders in Paris.

"I believe that in the next few days confidence in the banking system will be restored," Brown told reporters after joining a summit of the 15 countries belonging to the eurozone single currency bloc.

"The decisions we take over the next few days will affect us for the years ahead," he said.

Brown, whose country is not a member of the eurozone, briefed his European counterparts on the plan his government adopted on Wednesday to shore up ailing banks.

The plan provides for the state to buy up equity stakes in banks and guarantee interbank lending in a bid to overcome the credit crunch that has sent stock markets in a freefall.

"I'm confident that after speaking to my European colleagues that they agree with the three elements of the plan we've put forward," said Brown.

"More liquidity, funding for medium-term loans which are necessary for businesses and mortgages to be delivered and also the recapitalisation of banks," he said.

Two newspaper reports said the British government will announce plans Monday to take controlling stakes in Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS.

France and Germany were also set to unveil measures to address the financial meltdown.

"I believe there is common ground now about what needs to be done, that it has to be comprehensive and it has to be all countries acting together if we're going to get to the bottom and solve what is a global financial problem," Brown said.

London has set aside 250 billion pounds (315 billion euros) to underwrite loans, 200 billion pounds in short-term loans and 50 billion to buy stakes in major banks.

The London Stock Exchange has just suffered its worst week since the 1987 stock market crash, with the FTSE 100 index shedding 21.05 percent of its value.

Brown said he hoped the European measures would lay the groundwork for broader international action to end the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

"This has been a very important day I think for Europe," Brown said.

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