Brussels, 26/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - Italian finance minister Padoa Schioppa and (more cautiously) German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck, announced after meetings in Berlin this week that they backed the idea of a single European stock exchange for continental Europe, as a natural move now that the eurozone exists. Schioppa said that decisive steps would be taken in Frankfurt, Paris, Milan and possibly Madrid in the next few days and a meeting may soon be held between French minister Breton and Spanish minister Solbes. Schioppa explained that stock exchanges were private bodies whose independence had to be guaranteed but their activity involved the public interest and governments had to take account of this while respecting the autonomy of stock exchange decisions. Taking a more cautious line, Steinbrueck said he preferred a European development given the importance and high quality of the financial markets but only mentioned 'cooperation' among European stock exchanges. On the role of the authorities, he simply said they were looking at ideas of continental cooperation with great interest. Steinbrueck stressed the importance of transatlantic cooperation. (fr)