Factbox - Main points of EU summit agreement

(Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed on a new "fiscal compact" to tackle the euro zone's debt crisis on Friday, but failed to win consensus for it to be backed by a new 27-state treaty after Britain held out for safeguards to its financial sector.

Here are the main points of the agreement, reached in the small hours of Friday after overnight talks:

- EU leaders described the deal as based on a new "fiscal compact" and "on significantly stronger coordination of economic policies in areas of common interest"

- Euro zone states' budgets should be balanced or in surplus; this principle will be deemed respected if, as a rule, the annual structural deficit does not exceed 0.5 percent of

GDP.

- Such a rule will also be introduced in euro zone member states' own national legal systems; they must report national debt issuance plans in advance.

- As soon as a euro member state is in breach of the three percent deficit ceiling, there will be automatic consequences, including possible sanctions, unless a qualified majority of euro states is opposed.

- The European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the euro zone's permanent bailout fund, is aimed to enter into force in July 2012; the existing European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) will remain active until mid-2013. The overall ceiling of the EFSF/ESM of 500 billion euros will be reviewed in March 2012.

- Euro area and other EU states will confirm within 10 days the provision of funds to the IMF of up to 200 billion euros in the form of bilateral loans to help it deal with the crisis.

- Voting rules in the ESM will be changed to allow decisions by qualified majority of 85 percent in emergencies, although that remains subject to confirmation by the Finnish parliament.

(Compiled by Mark John)