Letter to President van Rompuy
The Euro is the basis of our economic success and symbol for the political unification of our
continent. It stands for the will of Europe to consolidate its internal development and to
jointly meet the challenges of our time. Germany and France, consider it their historic mission
and stand united to protect and strengthen the economic and monetary union and thus the
stability of the single currency.
In the last months, the Heads of State and Government of the euro area have taken all the
necessary measures in order to preserve the stability of the economic and monetary union.
They have also made clear, that all Member States of the euro area have a shared
responsibility for the euro area notably through their budgetary and economic policies.
Since then, the European Union and the Member States of the euro area have introduced
decisive reforms to stabilize the economic and monetary union.
The reformed Stability and Growth Pact, the new excessive imbalances procedure and the
Euro Plus Pact will reinforce the economic and fiscal coordination and surveillance in the
euro area and ensure that any deviation from the objectives set by these instruments are
recognized and adressed at an early stage. This policy of prevention will be key to the
medium- and long-term stability of the euro area.
At the same time, by establishing the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and, from
mid-2013, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), we have created the instruments to
enable targeted intervention if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a
whole – always subject to adequate conditionality. Member States which benefit from the
EFSF undertake considerable efforts to takle the causes of the crisis – principally excessive
public debt and a lack of competitiveness – effectively.
All the Member States of the euro area have committed themselves to swiftly reducing their
deficits, achieving balanced budgets in the medium term and implementing the structural
reforms required to enhance the competitiveness of their economies on a sustainable basis.
France and Germany are committed to implement all decisions of the Heads of State and
Government meeting of July 21
st
fully and in due time. They stress the importance to obtain - 2 -
parliamentary approval in their two countries by the end of September for all the relevant
decisions. They call on all members of the euro area to take the appropriate steps so that the
new EFSF be fully operational at the end of September. France and Germany call for the
rapid finalization of the legislative package on the strengthening of the Stability and Growth
Pact and the new macro economic surveillance.
In the view to implementing the paragraph 16 of the declaration of Heads of State and
Governement of the euro area of July 21
st
, France and Germany propose to strenghten further
the governance of the euro area, in line with existing treaties.
1/ Strenghtening the governance of the Euro area
All the decisions taken in the last year are aimed at enhancing stability and fostering growth
in all Members States. In order to support this process, the euro area needs to strenghten and
streamline its institutional framework to reinforce the efficiency of its decision-making
process and to promote the coherence of its institutions and procedures.
This framework should rely on the following proposals :
- Regular meetings of the euro area Heads of State and Government: these meetings
will be convened twice a year and when necessary in extraordinary session to act as
the cornerstone of the enhanced economic governance of the euro area. They would in
particular check the proper implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact by euro
Member States, discuss the problems facing individual Member States of the euro area
and take the requisite fundamental decisions on averting crisis. These summits will
also assess the evolution of competitiveness in the euro area and define the main
orientations of the economic policy in the euro area to promote sustainable growth,
foster competitiveness and prevent the build up of imbalances.
- The Heads of State and Government of the euro area should elect a chairman as a rule
for a 2 year and half term. We expressed our wish that you could take on this job.
- The eurogroup of finance ministers should be reinforced. - 3 -
- The EFSF/ESM missions have been extended by the decisions taken on July 21
st
. Its
effectiveness will be improved and its flexibility increased subject to appropriate
conditionalities. To fulfill its new role, the ESM should be equiped with new
analytical capacities in particular as regards debt and capital markets analysis to
complement the analysis and recommendations provided by European Commission,
the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
2/ Enhanced surveillance and integration of budgetary and economic policy
The economic and monetary union needs to be based on an even closer coordination of
national budgetary and economic policies.
It should be further enhanced through the following proposals :
- Building on their commitments under the Euro Plus Pact, all Member States of the
euro area will incorporate a balanced budget fiscal rule into their national
legislation by summer 2012. As a rule, the balanced budget fiscal rule is made law as
part of Member States’ constitutions or by legislation of an equivalent level in order to
ensure the rule’s stability and superiority over annual budgets. The fiscal rule should
implement the objectives of the Stability and Growth Pact and ensure that every
Member State of the euro area achieves a balanced budget as soon as possible.
Therefore, it would ensure a sustained reduction of the debt ratios in the case they
exceed the reference value (60% of GDP). In line with the revised Stability and
Growth Pact, by end-2011, all Member States of the euro area whose debt level
exceeds the reference value must present an adjustment path for reducing their debt
below the reference value and expose how to address the impact of ageing population
on the long term debt sustainability.
- All Member States of the euro area should confirm without delay their resolve to
swiftly implement the European recommendations for fiscal consolidation and
structural reforms, especially as regards labour-market, competition in services and
pensions policy, and adapt appropriately their draft budget.
- We will campaign for a commitment of governments and parliaments of all Member
States of the euro area to adapt their draft budgets in case of recommendations made
in the European Semester. - 4 -
- In line with the Euro Plus Pact, euro area Member’s States should take all the
necessary measures to improve competitiveness, foster employment, ensure
stability of the euro area as a whole and deepen economic integration. In
particular, further progress should be made on tax policy coordination to support fiscal
consolidation and economic growth. Member states should commit to finalize the
negotiation on the Commission’s proposal on “a common consolidated corporate tax
base” before end 2012. Euro area member states should be ready to consider enhanced
cooperation for further progress on tax coordination. Euro area member states should
enhance their cooperation to avoid harmful tax practices and fight against fraud and
tax evasion.
- Structural and cohesion funds should be used to support essential reforms to
enhance economic growth and competitiveness in the euro area. Macro-economic
conditionality of the Cohesion fund should be extended to the structural funds. They
should be targeted at improving competitiveness and reduction of imbalances in the
Member States receiving recommendations in the excessive imbalance procedure. In
programme countries, the European Commission should automatically check to ensure
that structural and cohesion funds provide the optimum support for the
macroeconomic adjustment programme and be involved in the selection and
implementation of projects. Within the European Commission, the Commissioner for
Economic and Financial Affairs, should play a decisive role in this process. Funds not
used by programme countries could be combined in a fund for growth and
competitiveness administrated on the European level by the Commission. In the future,
payments from structural and cohesion funds should be suspended in euro area
countries not complying with recommendations under the excessive deficit procedure.
These changes should be implemented in the new structural and cohesion funds
regulations to be proposed for the next multiannual financial framework.
The aforementioned proposals should be implemented in such a way as to serve the cohesion
of the European Union as a whole. The European Parliament, the European Commission and
the national parliaments should be associated to this process in their respective capacities.
Under the provisions of the current treaties, EU legislation including legislation pursuant to
Art. 136 TFEU and in the framework of enhanced cooperation should be considered. - 5 -
Finally, we wish to inform you that we have decided to reinforce the economic and
financial convergence between our two countries.
We have taken the three following decisions:
1. We have asked our Finance Ministers to work on a joint proposal on a Financial
Transaction Tax by the end of September, in order to contribute to the work of the
European Commission ;
2. We have decided to convene a meeting at the beginning of each European semester in
order to exchange on our economic and fiscal policy and to define together the macroeconomic assumptions underpinning our budgets. The first meeting will be held in
January 2012 ;
3. For the celebration of the 50
th
anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, we have asked our
Finance and Economic ministers to prepare joint proposals with a view to an enhanced
convergence and competitiveness of our economies.
We have specifically asked them to prepare a proposal to create a common corporate
tax between our two countries, including harmonized tax base and rates, which would
be implemented as of 2013.
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