David Cameron will tell EU leaders they must be "bolder" if they want to shake off their economic troubles, saying "tinkering won't cut it any more".
In a World Economic Forum speech later, Mr Cameron will urge the EU to explore free trade deals with other major trading blocs like the US and Africa.
He will also call for a target for reducing Brussels red tape, which he says is holding back business.
The annual gathering is being held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
More than 2,600 delegates - including world leaders, economists and business chiefs - are attending the conference.
Mr Cameron's speech comes the day after official figures show the UK economy shrank by 0.2% in the final quarter of 2011, with worries about the prospect of a return to recession.
The International Monetary Fund also downgraded its forecasts for global growth earlier this week.
In a message to his European counterparts, Mr Cameron will say that now is "the time to show the leadership our people are demanding".
"Tinkering here and there and hoping we'll drift to a solution simply won't cut it any more.
"This is a time for boldness not caution - boldness in what we do nationally, and together as a continent," he will say.
'Ambitious deals'The UK prime minister will warn that competitiveness remains Europe's "Achilles heel", with the single market incomplete, and "unnecessary" measures from Brussels burdening businesses and destroying jobs.
"Here's the checklist - all proposed EU measures tested for their impact on growth; a target to reduce the overall burden of EU regulation; a new proportionality test to prevent needless barriers to trade in services and slash the number of regulated professions in Europe.
"The truth is, we can't afford to wait any longer," he will say.
In the absence of a conclusion to the Doha free trade talks, Cameron will also propose that a "coalition of the willing" could "forge ahead with more ambitious deals of their own".
Free trade agreements with India, Canada and Singapore must be completed by the end of 2012, he will say.
He will also call for the EU to "look at options for agreement" with the US in a deal that "could have a bigger impact than all of the other agreements put together".
"And why not an ambitious deal between Europe and Africa?" he will go on.
Mr Cameron will tell EU leaders: "This is a bold agenda on trade which can deliver tangible results this year, and I am proposing that we start work on it immediately.
"All these decisions lie in our own hands. The problems we face are man-made and with bold action and real political will we can fix them."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-16736260
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