FRANKFURT (MNI) – The call from within German Chancellor Merkel’s
own party for a more enlightened debate on eurobonds is becoming
louder, according to a report in Handelsblatt Tuesday.

“It makes no sense to just have a black and white debate,”
Christian Democrat member of parliament Johann Wadephul told
Handelsblatt. “We may not need [eurobonds] as yet, but the topic should
not be considered taboo,” he said.

CDU Executive Committee member Armin Laschet called for an open
debate on the matter. “We need to take a further step towards full
integration in Europe, especially in the area of fiscal and financial
policy,” Laschet said to the paper. “The challenge from global markets
can only be confronted by truly global institutions,” he said. “What is
necessary is a total concept which may or may not include eurobonds.”

CDU members who sit in the European Parliament have signed a
working paper which includes more arguments for the introduction of euro
bonds than against, according to Handelsblatt. The working paper makes
the point that eurobonds would send a clear signal to the market that
Europe is united and determined.

The newspaper wrote that according to CDU European parliament
member Burkhard Balz, pressure is growing on the CDU leadership to
reconsider its strict anti-eurobond stance. “We have to consider all
options,” he told Handelsblatt.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela
Merkel are to meet in Paris later today to discuss a number of issues
relating to the current debt crisis. There has been no clear indication
that the topic of eurobonds is on the agenda.

Merkel remains strongly opposed to the concept of a
collectivization of Eurozone debt. Her recalcitrant stance has been
echoed by a number of her key cabinet colleagues, including Finance
Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (CDU) and Economics Minister Philipp Roesler
(FDP), both of whom only this weekend reiterated that the topic of
eurobonds was not open to discussion.

The mixed messages coming out of Berlin are likely to fuel the
debate and ensure that the issue remains in the spotlight as far as
the markets are concerned.

Tuesday’s talks in Paris will provide an opportunity for Merkel and
Sarkozy to bridge the divide between Paris and Berlin on several key
initiatives, such as expanding the European Financial Stability
Facility.

Whether they get around to discussing the topic of eurobonds can
only be speculated on. A press conference later today may shed some
light on the matter.

— Frankfurt bureau: +49 69 720 142; email: frankfurt@marketnews.com

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