BERLIN (MNI) – The German government on Wednesday said that under
current regulations the outgoing Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker
should be replaced by a finance minister, but the ministry also made
clear that this rule can be altered quickly.

Asked at a regular government press conference here which criteria
a candidate for Juncker’s succession needs in order to be supported by
Germany, finance ministry spokeswoman Marianne Kothe replied: “The rules
of the Eurogroup foresee that it has to be an incumbent finance
minister.”

Later on, the ministry pointed out that this regulation is defined
in the statutes of the Eurogroup which have not yet been adapted to the
Lisbon Treaty. “They can, however, be adapted at any time by a simple
decision of the Eurogroup,” the ministry explained in a statement.

The protocol no. 14 of the Lisbon Treaty stipulates only that the
finance ministers of the Eurozone member states elect a Eurogroup
president by majority decision for two and a half years, the ministry
remarked.

As prime minister of Luxembourg, Juncker also has the title of
treasury minister, which allows him to retain his membership in the
Eurogroup.

The Austrian daily Kurier reported on Tuesday that Austrian
Chancellor Werner Faymann had good chances to become the next Eurogroup
head. Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter demanded Tuesday that the
next Eurogroup chair should be a head of government.

The German business daily Financial Times Deutschland (FTD),
however, reported Tuesday that French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici
could succeed Juncker.

According to the paper, French President Francois Hollande and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel have already discussed this. They aim
for a rotation between France and Germany at the helm of the Eurogroup
every two and a half years, with Moscovici starting first. The German
government, though, has not confirmed the agreement, the FTD wrote.

Doubts exists in some member states over Moscovici and German
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, the FTD also reported. Moscovici
has made a weak impression so far, while Schaeuble has angered many of
his colleagues by his opposition to the banking union and by changing
tactics on the aid plan for Greece.

–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@mni-news.com

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