DIFFERENT VOICES

Date: 21/11/1996

“I think there is a risk that Germany will exasperate its partners. Not all of them, but some ... if someone is trying to impose on us an economic and monetary union in which the word 'economic' is struck out and 'monetary union' is reduced to a single currency and budget discipline, I say no.”

Former European Commission President Jacques Delors expressing grave doubts about Germany's drive for a tough stability pact to enforce budgetary discipline in the EMU zone.

“We are in favour of a hard currency union and against a weak currency union. Fiscal discipline must be secured, or else the danger that EMU could be torn apart is very high.”

Bundesbank President Hans Tietmeyer warning that the single currency might fail without a strict stability pact.

“One must realise that EMU is first of all a political goal.”

Belgian Premier Jean-Luc Dehaene insisting economic and monetary union would begin on 1 January 1999, above all because there was a firm political will for it to do so.

“Yes, we need more flexible labour markets, but not a return to the Dickensian sweatshops of the 19th century ... Those who seem to say the less social regulation there is, the better it is for competitivity - do they mean no regulation at all?”

European Commission President Jacques Santer delivering a thinly-veiled attack on the UK government's stance on the 48-hour working week directive.

“I am still not going to stake any money at this stage on getting a deal, but the momentum has started to come and I think it is extremely encouraging.”

Neil McMillan, chairman of the World Trade Organisation talks aimed at reaching agreement on a global telecoms liberalisation deal by February 1997, expressing optimism about meeting the deadline.

“Hunger and malnutrition are a scourge, a curse that cannot be tolerated any longer, morally, socially, politically or economically.”

Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler speaking at the World Food Summit in Rome.