Brussels, 09/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - Gerassimo Thomas, spokesperson for European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes, said on Friday that at its weekly meeting in Strasbourg on 13 January, the College of Commissioners was likely to decide on whether or not to challenge in the European Court of Justice the freezing of the disciplinary proceedings against France and Germany over their excess budgets (see Europe of 8 January, p.9) decided by the ECOFIN ministers. Discussion will focus on a memorandum by Solbes, outlined to reporters by the Commissioner at a press conference on 7 January, describing an initiative to strengthen economic governance in the EU that the Commission will be unveiling in February. The initiative has three sections, explained the Commissioner, first the need for a better combination of discipline and growth, setting fiscal policy against the larger backdrop of monitoring economic policy; secondly, the need for greater focus on the sustainability of Member States' public finances; and thirdly, the need to increase the Commission's authority as the guardian of the EU's interests in terms of the health of public finance and economic policy. The question now doing the rounds in European circles is whether the Commission will decide on Tuesday to go to the European Court of Justice since various sources suggest the College is divided over the attitude to be adopted. Romano Prodi said in Dublin on Wednesday that the question should be considered and that although a legal issue, it was above all political. The Commission said on Friday that it would be examining the updated Stability Pacts for France and Germany on 28 January and 18 February respectively. ECOFIN will discuss the recommendation on France's Stability Pact on 10 February, and Germany's in Berlin on 9 March.