BERLIN, Jan 17 (Reuters) – Germany wants to stick to common eurozone fiscal rules as it helps keep inflation under control, its new finance minister Christian Lindner said on Monday, adding he expected opening of a “real debate” on the subject in June.
Speaking to the press ahead of a meeting with his eurozone counterparts in Brussels, his first-ever ‘Eurogroup’, he said the fiscal rules of Europe’s Stability and Growth Pact had proven their flexibility during the coronavirus crisis. .
“But now is the time to rebuild fiscal reserves, we need resilience not only in the private sector but also in the public sector,” he said. “That’s why I’m very much in favor of reducing sovereign debt.”
His French counterpart, Bruno Le Maire, for his part said he wanted “constructive” discussions, believing that “each state must commit to respecting a certain number of rules so that growth is sustainable”.
(Report Michael Nienaber, French version Marc Angrand and Nicolas Delame)