International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde wanted Germany to play a bigger role in propelling economic recovery in Europe , she hinted in an interview broadcast yesterday, suggesting that German wages should rise.
Part of her remarks may be interpreted by personalities on the left of French politics as going in the same direction as French Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg’s criticism at the weekend of French, German and EU austerity policies.
Montebourg’s attack on the thrust of the French Socialist government’s policy caused a crisis yesterday when President Francois Hollande told Prime Minister Manuel Valls to form a new government.
Lagarde, pictured, told Swiss public broadcaster RTS: “What I think is very important for Germany is to participate in the recovery movement in a very intense way. It has the means to do so.”
Describing the European economic recovery as “laborious”, Lagarde stressed that the continent’s economic powerhouse had “room for manoeuvre” – as seen in recent wage |negotiations.
“That leeway has been disclosed in the salary negotiations between the unions and the employers’ organisations,” she said, adding that “hopefully that movement will be amplified and will help propel the European recovery”.
On Saturday, Montebourg criticised German austerity measures and warned that France would no longer “be pushed around”.
via Kitco
Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.