BERLIN (MNI) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday she had
told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that Italy needs to make
clear that it will take on the necessary consolidation of its budget.
“It is a very important signal that Italy has to send itself that
it will pass a budget that is taking account of the necessary austerity
and consolidation,” Merkel told reporters here.
“I have full confidence that the Italian government will pass
exactly such a budget and I talked exactly about this yesterday on the
phone with the Italian prime minister,” the chancellor said.
Merkel argued that the euro is stable but some countries have a
debt problem. She once again vowed that “Germany and all euro partners
are firmly determined to defend the stability of the euro overall.”
“We have taken many measures in this regard and will also do in the
future what is necessary,” she stressed.
Turning to Greece, the chancellor stressed that the new fiscal aid
program needed to be decided very rapidly “and this will be discussed in
that way at today’s Eurogroup meeting.”
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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