BERLIN (MNI) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday
defended her decision to make her 42-year old top economic advisor, Jens
Weidmann, the next president of the Bundesbank.
The opposition parties had warned that sending a member of
government directly to the top of the Bundesbank could impair the
independence of the central bank.
Merkel reminded that Weidmann had already worked for the Bundesbank
before joining the government. “If there is anybody with his background
who is committed to preserving the independence of the Bundesbank and
the ECB, then it is Weidmann,” she argued.
“Weidmann will speak out in the ECB for a culture of stability,”
the chancellor predicted.
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, speaking at the same press
conference, reaffirmed that the succession of ECB President Jean-Claude
Trichet will be decided only once a comprehensive package to solve the
current debt crisis in the Eurozone had been agreed amongst member
states.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
[TOPICS: M$X$$$,M$$EC$,M$G$$$,MGX$$$,MT$$$$]
