BERLIN (MNI) – The German government wants Greece to stay in the
Eurozone but is also preparing for the case that Greece leaves the
currency union, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an
interview published Sunday.
“We would be a funny government if we would not prepare ourselves
for possible constellations in order to be able to master them — also
situations which would not be easy for Europe,” Schaeuble told German
weekly Welt am Sonntag (WamS).
Meanwhile, German weekly Der Spiegel reported over the weekend that
a task force in the German Finance Ministry has for one year been
assessing the consequences of a Greek euro exit.
According to the magazine, the task force advises that Greece
should continue receiving money from the European rescue funds even
after leaving the Eurozone. Only funds that go to Greece’s budget would
be scrapped. Those that serve the bonds taken over by the European
Central Bank would continue to be paid.
In his interview with WamS, Schaeuble said Germany would be willing
to support further growth measures for Greece. Der Spiegel reported
that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now willing to give in to the
demand of the newly elected French President Francois Hollande to add a
growth component to the EU fiscal compact.
Merkel and Hollande are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Berlin.
In other remarks, Schaeuble told WamS that he is not ruling out
becoming the next chairman of the Eurogroup of Eurozone finance
ministers when incumbent Jean-Claude Juncker steps down from the post
this summer.
–Berlin bureau: +49-30-22 62 05 80; email: twidder@marketnews.com
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