Brussels, 16/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday evening after his first official meeting with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the new French president, François Hollande, said that all measures capable of stimulating growth in Europe should be set out so that a decision on an EU growth agenda can be taken at the European summit next month. He said everything must be on the table, including anything that can boost growth or improve competitiveness, along with investing in the future, making use of available funding and the introduction of eurobonds. Asked how such a growth stimulus agenda would mesh with the fiscal compact, he said the ideas should come first, ahead of the legal niceties of how the ideas are to be put into practice.
José Manuel Durão Barroso said on Wednesday 16 May that the Commission would shortly be publishing details of a growth stimulus initiative ahead of the June European summit. The stimulus initiative will include project bonds, increasing the EIB's capital, making better use of EU Structural Funds, a financial transaction tax, an investment-oriented multiannual financial framework (budget) and expanding the single market in the domain of services. Barroso added: “We will apply the Stability and Growth Pact intelligently. We will use its in-built adaptability where appropriate. We will come back to what this means in detail on 30 May when we adopt the country-specific recommendations.” (MB/transl.fl)