BRUSSELS (MNI) – Europe is very important for Germany and the
country is committed to integration and European initiatives, Christian
Wulff, Germany’s new Federal President, said on Thursday.
The German president, whose role is largely ceremonial, said his
country would work with Europe to support financial regulation,
strengthen budget rules and reduce imbalances in order to shore up the
bloc’s credibility.
Some commentators have questioned Germany’s commitment to Europe
after opinion polls showed that its citizens weren’t happy at the
prospect of providing loans to financially troubled Eurozone members
like Greece.
As Europe’s largest economy, Germany relies on exports to other
countries in the 27-nation bloc to drive part of its growth.
“Europe is for Germany very important,” Wulff told reporters after
a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in
Brussels on Thursday.
“We should not always blame Europe if something goes wrong … this
hinders development in Germany,” Wulff added.
He said he wanted to see more integration at the European level.
“If we speak with one voice, then we will have a better weight” on
the international stage, he said. “All the major issues have to be
solved at the international level.”
Wulff — a politician from Germany’s conservative Christian
Democratic Union — was elected President on 30 June and sworn in on 2
July.
–Brussels: 0032 487 (0) 32 803 665, echarlton@marketnews.com
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