28/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - Graham Watson, president of the ALDE group at the European Parliament complained in the Financial Times on 28 February of back-door deals being done. Watson believes these deals have a tendency to tie the two German leaders of the EPP-ED and PES groups, Hans-Gert Pöttering and Martin Schulz together at the instigation of the “broad coalition” in Berlin on a series of significant issues such as the “services” directive. According to the FT, Pöttering and Schulz reject this allegation, with Mr Schulz describing it as “absolutely ridiculous” to imagine that non-German members of his group would allow their action to be dictated to from Berlin.