Angela Merkel warns there is no ‘magic bullet’ to beat debt crisis

“So much has been talked about Eurobonds or leveraging. All these
measures have come and gone like magic weapons and then it is recognised
that they are not sustainable solutions.

“Only one thing is and remains sustainable: accepting that overcoming the
crisis will be a long and difficult process that will only be achieved if we
attack the origins of the crisis, which are the horrendous debts and a lack
of competitiveness in some European countries,” she said.

Mrs Merkel’s comments came after a Bundesbank economist suggested one
potential way out of the crisis was to boost domestic demand in Europe’s top
economy and tolerate the slightly higher German inflation this could produce.

Germany
would in this scenario have in the future an above-average inflation rate
compared to the eurozone,” the central bank wrote.

“But monetary policy would have to ensure that the average eurozone
inflation rate corresponded to the target and that inflation expectations
remained solidly anchored.”

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in comments published this week that
Germans deserved higher pay following years of wage restraint and labour
market reforms.

“By raising pay, Germany would help reduce economic imbalances in Europe,”
the minister added.

The European Central Bank, which brings together the central bank governors
from all the 17 nations that share the euro, aims to keep inflation close
to, but below, two per cent.

Germany’s inflation in April stood at 2.2 per cent, using the ECB’s preferred
yardstick – the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices.

In the eurozone, inflation was 2.6 per cent in April.

Source: AFP

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