Brussels, 17/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - Just a few days from the meeting of the Ecofin Council in Madrid on Thursday, an official of the German government affirmed, on Monday, that the French budgetary deficit could reach 2.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) this year. He stressed Berlin's hope that all European Union countries would respect the aim of reaching budgetary situations "close to balance" in 2004. Otherwise, he said, the European Central Bank (ECB) would have to raise its interest...