No. 345 Towards a compromise? The state of Franco-German talks on the eurozone

Bulletin of the Institute for Western Affairs (No. 345/2018), Karol Janoś, Jacek Kubera, “Towards a compromise? The state of Franco-German talks on the eurozone”.

As he received the Charlemagne Prize in Aachen on May 10, 2018, President Emmanuel Macron once again urged Germany to engage in effective collaboration with France on the eurozone reform project. He had delivered the same message on two previous occasions: at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and during his Berlin meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. As was announced at the time, the two politicians would jointly present their change proposals prior to the European Council Summit of June 29, 2018. The positions of France and Germany, as presented thus far, point to the transformations of the Economic and Monetary Union that both countries accept and that relate to discussions on the eurozone budget, the establishment of the European Monetary Fund, the completion of a banking union and the appoint-ment of the European Minister for Economy and Finance.

This article is part of Special Bulletin Series of the Institute for Western Affairs titled “The euro - opportunities and threats”. The analyses and opinions featured therein concern the functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union, its possible transformations and the consequences of Poland’s possible adoption of the single currency and of remaining outside of the eurozone. In its subsequent issues, the Bulletin will shed light on the above issues from a variety of perspectives.