Barroso urges Germany to act on euro imbalances

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso urged Germany on the 5 November 2013 to do more to address economic imbalances in the eurozone by opening up its services market and allowing wages to rise at a faster pace.

Barroso's language was softer than that of the United States, which had reprimanded Germany the week before for relying too heavily on exports, an approach it said hampered economic stability in Europe and hurt the global economy.

Germany's trade surplus was at the heart of the European Commission's economic policy recommendations for the EU / eurozone on the 13 November 2013. The European Commission said it would investigate whether Germany's trade surplus hampered economic growth across the rest of the eurozone.

• Primary Source

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EUObserver, 15.11.13: When Barroso dared to take on Berlin http://euobserver.com/news/122074

ESO: Background information: European Semester 2014: strengthening the recovery http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-european-semester-2014-strengthening-the-recovery/

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