Brussels, 09/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Although nothing has filtered through from the meeting on Tuesday evening between Jean-Claude Juncker and Gerhard Schröder, the German finance minister Hans Eichel told Reuters on Wednesday that the Luxembourg Prime Minister assured the Chancellor that the problems with the reform of the Pact were not down to Germany, but to the new Member States. Although, Mr Juncker feels, a compromise still seems possible within Eurogroup, the thirteen other Member States are much more reluctant, especially on the list of relevant factors to be taken into account in case of deficit (yesterday's EUROPE, p.7). “I think there will be an agreement”, said Hans Eichel, who cannot see talks continuing after the European Council of 22 and 23 March (see also p.6).
Mr Juncker, for his part, is still pursuing his contacts, and is to meet President Chirac on Wednesday, and Silvio Berlusconi on Friday.
At a conference in Frankfurt, the President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, pointed out that the ECB “strongly recommends that the integrity of the corrective arm of the Pact be preserved, with the nominal anchorage of 3% and the excessive deficit proceedings”.