PARIS (Reuters) – French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday evening after meeting in Paris with his German counterpart, Christian Lindner, that France and Germany had an “agreement 100%” on the new budgetary rules of the European Union (EU).
Via the social network and Franco-German financier.
Earlier in the day, in front of journalists, the French minister expressed optimism that an agreement would be reached in the coming hours, ahead of the meeting of EU finance ministers scheduled for Wednesday – a timetable which pushed Christian Lindner to make a last-minute trip to Paris.
Paris and Berlin displayed differences on how to support investment when the budget deficit exceeds the limits set by Brussels, constituting one of the blocking points in the revision of the Stability and Growth Pact which currently limits budget deficits to 3% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) and public debt at 60%.
Other member countries of the community bloc, generally ranked behind either France or Germany, also have disputes over other budgetary issues.
Also speaking to journalists ahead of his interview with Bruno Le Maire, Christian Lindner adopted a more cautious tone, indicating that the two countries were still discussing “precise amounts” on debt relief. However, he expressed confidence that a “political agreement” would be reached this week in the EU.
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel in Paris, Maria Martinez in Berlin; written by Tangi Salaün and Jean Terzian, edited by Kate Entringer and Nicolas Delame)
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