• Court ruling gives security to taxpayers and the Bundestag
• Germany’s started this year ‘robustly’
• First steps to boost european competitiveness and resolve the Euro crisis have been taken
• Those countries in crisis must begin by starting to solve their own problems first
• Rejects joint debt liability in the Eurozone
• Every institution including the ECB has its own responsibilities
• National bank oversight is not sufficient, welcomes proposals on EU banking oversight, ECB can’t be expected to oversee all
• Backs ECB plan due to strong conditionality
• Must push on with economic and political union in the Eurozone
• EU integration doesn’t yet suffice
• Sees ECB role as supportive of German policy
• Sees talks of closer Eurozone union before December
• Must accept that some states don’t want a transaction tax, but wants closer cooperation in it.
• Need to back Spain on its reform path
• Germany must be the motor for international finance regulation
• A balanced German budget is within reach
• Demographic challenges will be the major theme of years to come
• Will hold a German demographic ‘Summit’ on October 4th