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Christian Linder is not a friend of debt. So, unsurprisingly, the German Finance Minister says the Commission’s plans for new debt rules are not strict enough. “Significant adjustments are still needed,” Lindner judged on Wednesday. His French counterpart Bruno Le Maire sees it quite differently. “Some points contradict the spirit of the reform,” he criticized. And in the European Parliament, too, opinions on the proposals differ widely, analyze Christof Roche and Till Hoppe.
To provide better access to medicines throughout the EU. This is what the EU Commission wants to achieve with its pharmaceutical package presented today. It wants to create an ecosystem that will enable faster and more widespread approvals in Europe. In return, there are to be more extended protection periods, among other things. But that is not the only source of criticism, reports Charlotte Wirth.
China’s President Xi Jinping has kept the Ukrainian president waiting for more than a year. Now, surprisingly, a call from Beijing reached Kyiv on Wednesday. And Zelenskiy hopes for Chinese influence. But China wants to send a special envoy for Eurasian affairs to Ukraine, writes Fabian Peltsch.
Feature
New debt rules: Berlin calls for refinements
Germany rejects the EU Commission’s proposals for a reform of European debt rules for the time being. They do not yet meet the requirements of the German government, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said Wednesday. “Significant adjustments are still needed.” Progress is nevertheless discernible, which is why further debate will be worthwhile, Lindner said. Germany could not support a softening of the debt rules, he added.
There will be an initial exchange of ideas on this at the meeting of EU finance ministers in Stockholm on Friday and Saturday, he said. The current debt rules have been suspended since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 but are to take effect again in 2024. Lindner stressed they would remain in place until a reform is decided.
Le Maire takes issue with fixed rules on debt reduction
At the heart of the Brussels plans are individually negotiated reduction paths for EU countries with excessive budget deficits and debt levels. As a rule, these countries are to improve their figures within four years and, in exceptional cases, within seven years. In addition, measures are to be taken to ensure there is no relapse into higher deficits and debt levels in the medium term.
- Fiskalpolitik
- Stability Pact
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