Strasbourg, 13/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - Even if the German EU Presidency were to reach an agreement at the Ecofin Council in March, the compromise would be too far removed from the positions defended by the European Parliament to be accepted by the latter, predicted Jean-Paul Gauzès (EPP-ED, France) on Tuesday. “I believe there will be no agreement at first reading” during the April plenary, the EP rapporteur on the payment services directive told a small group of journalists. Already pessimistic before last Friday's interinstitutional trilogue (EUROPE 9362), he now confirms that a Council agreement is foreseeable but on a basis that is far from the position of the ECON commission, that should be followed by a large Parliament majority during the vote in April. Despite efforts made by the German Presidency, several delegations, such as those of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and certain Scandinavian countries, are still blocking the process, said Mr Gauzès, who expressed disappointment at the way events were unfolding, illustrating that “Europe has broken down, with Member States stuck to their positions”. We would point out that the major points of the disagreement cover capital requirements, the granting of credit and prudential control over payment establishments. (ab)