EU leaders today agreed in principle to a request by the UN and the Haitian government for European soldiers to be deployed to the Caribbean island to help the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by last month’s earthquake.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain’s prime minister, said that the EU’s 27 national leaders, who met in Brussels today, were “quite receptive” to a proposal arguing for deployment that was presented to them by Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Zapatero, who currently speaks for the EU’s member states, gave no indication of the number of troops that would be sent or when, and Ashton provided no figures in a statement released to reporters.

Today’s informal summit of EU leaders was, instead, dominated by debate about ways to stabilise the Greek economy.

The European soldiers would be deployed under their national flags to assist ongoing relief efforts, rather than as part of an EU military mission. Military planners in Ashton’s office are now waiting for member states to come forward with assets that they are willing to provide. Overall co-ordination would remain in the hands of a small EU cell in Port-au-Prince. EU member states already have gendarmerie – paramilitary police forces – in Haiti to protect aid deliveries.

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The military deployment would primarily aim to provide shelter ahead of the rainy season, which starts in the next couple of months. A diplomat suggested that it would need air transport capacity and ground troops, and would in essence build tent cities to house the homeless.

The countries that provide assistance to Haiti are to meet in New York next month to discuss further assistance.

• The European Commission today announced that it intends to provide an addition €90 million in short-term humanitarian aid to Haiti. The money, whose release needs the approval of member states and the European Parliament, would take to €609m the amount of relief aid provided by the EU. Of that, €300m is earmarked for medium-term assistance.

Correction: The original version of this article mistakenly described the mooted deployment as a military mission. That description was based on inaccurate information from national officials. A military mission would require a different planning and approval process.