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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 23 May 2017

Germany, France pledge new efforts to strengthen eurozone

GEIR MOULSON that Schaeuble has peri-
Associated Press odically backed.
BERLIN (AP) — Germa- He offered assurances
ny and France pledged that “France will respect
Monday to seek ways to its European obligations in
strengthen the 19-nation terms of (budget) deficit
eurozone, with harmo- reduction.”
nizing corporate taxes The latest German-French
among the possible mea- drive to strengthen the
sures they will mull over in EU’s economic coher-
the coming weeks. ence come as Britain, the
German Finance Minister bloc’s No. 2 economy af-
Wolfgang Schaeuble and ter Germany, prepares to
new French counterpart leave the EU.
Bruno Le Maire said they “We see in Brexit an op-
are setting up a panel to portunity for our financial
produce proposals for a companies to be more
bilateral summit in July. attractive than they were
“We’ve been talking for before,” Le Maire said.
years about progress in “Our role is to create
the integration of the euro- wealth for our country, to
zone, but things aren’t ad- create jobs for our coun-
vancing quickly enough try. With Brexit, there is this German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, left, and Bruno Le Maire, economy minister of
or far enough,” Le Maire opportunity, and we ex- France, right, arrive for a joint press conference after a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Monday,
said. “We are determined pect to seize this opportu- May 22, 2017. Associated Press
to get things moving faster nity.”
and further, in a very con- New French Foreign Minis-
crete way.” ter Jean-Yves Le Drian, also France’s Le Pen would accept
Germany and France making his first trip to Berlin
could either propose a since President Emmanuel exit of rival on euro issue
joint corporate tax system Macron’s new govern-
of their own or concen- ment was appointed last PARIS (AP) — Tensions are Monday to quit the party if out.”
trate on pushing efforts for week, met separately with mounting between French it drops the euro exit plan. The subject of the euro —
a harmonized assessment his German counterpart far-right leader Marine Le Le Pen, meanwhile, told which is used by 19 Europe-
of corporate taxes at the Sigmar Gabriel. Pen and her National Front France-Info television that an nations — is to be dealt
European Union level, Le Drian promised to keep party’s No. 2 figure over she doesn’t consider Philip- with at a future National
Schaeuble said. up Franco-German dip- whether the party should pot’s warning “blackmail” Front party congress. No
“Both are ambitious,” he lomatic efforts to resolve abandon its push to quit and said it would be “to his date has been set.
conceded, noting that the conflict in eastern the shared euro currency. credit” if Philippot followed Le Pen said a “major sub-
wider tax harmonization is Ukraine that has cost al- Le Pen, who lost France’s his convictions and left. ject” in France’s parlia-
difficult because it would most 10,000 deaths since presidential runoff earlier Philippot criticized the par- mentary campaign is Ger-
require consensus among fighting broke out in 2014 this month to Emmanuel ty’s communications on man Chancellor Angela
EU leaders. between Russia-backed Macron, acknowledged the euro issue, notably Le Merkel’s insistence on aus-
Le Maire said there needs separatists and the gov- Monday that leaving the Pen’s suggestion late in the terity measures.
to be better coordination ernment. euro worries many French. presidential campaign of Le Pen also said in five
of economic policy. He “France and Germany The topic is not on the par- keeping the euro for some years she would run for the
said investment will also be are not Europe, but with- ty’s agenda for France’s transactions but not for French presidency again if
considered. He stressed out France and Germany, two-part June 11 and June others. “We made French she’s best placed for the
France’s willingness to Europe won’t be able to 18 legislative election. people think they would race, but if someone else
consider deeper reforms move forward,” Gabriel Le Pen is running for a par- have two currencies in their is in a better spot “I’ll cede
such as creating a finance said. “We want to use this liamentary seat in next wallets, which was not true, my place.” Le Pen came
minister for the 19-nation historic window of oppor- month’s elections, but her that was never our ambi- in second in the 2017 presi-
eurozone or a “European tunity that opened up with party is facing divisions. tion,” Philippot said Mon- dential race and did not
National Front No. 2 Florian day on Radio Classique. make the runoff in the 2012
monetary fund,” an idea the election in France.”q
Philippot threatened again “That stressed everyone presidential race.q