13/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - The President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, took part on 7 December, in Laval, in a conference on the Euro with Jean Arthuis and Theo Waigel, who where French and German Finance Ministers, during the Madrid European Council in December 1995, which baptised the European currency "Euro". On this occasion, Mr Waigel welcomed the good monetary dialogue between the European Central Bank and the European Parliament, but shared the opinion of Mrs Fontaine over the ECB's problems of communication in the start-up phase. Mrs Fontaine felt for her part that the various categories of public seem as a whole, presently, well prepared for the arrival of the Euro. Mr Waigel also criticised the President of the Ecofin Council and the Eurogroup, Didier Reynders, for his calls on the ECB in order for it to lower interest rates. It is counterproductive, when I wanted to lower the rates, I did not talk of it, he said.