GENERAL NEWS / (eu) eu/eurogroup

Ministers undertake to reduce structural deficit from 2003, except France which wants to go at its own rate - question of the date for return to balance in public accounts remains open

Luxembourg, 08/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - The economy and finance ministers of the euro zone countries, who met on Monday evening in Luxembourg within the Eurogroup, laboriously reached a compromise which is partly based on the recent proposals of the European Commission on cutting deficits. However, it leaves the question of the date for returning public accounts to a situation of balance entirely open. In a declaration taken up in the form of "terms of reference", Eurogroup agreed, under...