France
French minister calls on ECB to tackle FX
French Industry Minister Nicole Fontaine called on the ECB on Thursday 22 January to "seriously address" the problem of currency market instability.
Bank of France's Noyer cautions on euro volatility
Christian Noyer the new governor of the Bank of France warned on Wednesday that "excess" currency volatility was not good for economic growth, and that European monetary authorities needed to promote stability.
France and Italy lead charge for EU pact change
French Finance Minister Francis Mer said Wednesday the EU should consider revising the stability and growth pact in 2005, Reuters said. While Italian Treasury undersecretary Gianluigi Magri commented "Pact 1 is finished with. We need to change the…
EU bends budget rules for Germany, France
A proposal to suspend the sanctions mechanism of the stability and growth pact for France and Germany was agreed on Tuesday 25 November by eurozone finance ministers, acording to Reuters. A declaration by the Ecofin council, meeting in Brussels, agreed…
Trichet warns EU over budget deficits
Jean-Claude Trichet issued a stern warning on 6 November to both eurozone governments and the EU Commission in Brussels that meddling with the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact would put the overall credibility of monetary union and economic…
France's Noyer on banknotes' stretch
Christian Noyer has answered the question that was on everyone's lips: Just how far would the 15bn euro banknotes stretch if laid end-to-end?
Chirac nominates Noyer as Bank of France president
French President Jacques Chirac nominated Christian Noyer on Wednesday 22 october as Jean-Claude Trichet's successor at the Bank of France, the Financial Times reports. Noyer, 53, is a former deputy governor of the European Central Bank.
Trichet's successor may face reduced role
Former vice-president of the ECB Christian Noyer could be named as a replacement to Jean-Claude Trichet at the Bank of France, notes the Financial Times, but Herve Hernoun could also take the job as a less political choice. Whatever the case, the new…
EU leaders to meet Trichet after ECB confirmation
After his confirmation as President of the European Central Bank, which was due to take place on Thursday 16 October at a two-day summit in Brussels, Jean-Claude Trichet was scheduled to meet EU leaders, according to EU Business. The EU's Italian…
France's Mer-ECB rates a powerful tool on FX moves
France's Finance Minister Francis Mer has called ECB interest rates a "powerful lever" that could be used in response to the declining dollar, Reuters said. "It's a powerful lever that can be mobilised in a non-inflationary environment," he said.
ECB hits out at France and Germany
The European Central Bank called for "complete compliance" with the EU's stability and growth pact in its monthly report released on Thursday 9 October, according to Expatica. The ECB said the pact was vital to success of the single European currency,…
France faces heat over budget deficit breach
Ahead of key meetings of EU finance ministers this week, the EC has signalled a willingness to move forward with the next stage in the European Union's excessive deficits procedure against France, Reuters reports. Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz…
France facing heavy fines over budget excesses
EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said on Monday 29 September that unless France changed its budget plans for 2004 by next week it faced heavy fines. according to Ireland Online."We are considering a specific set of recommendations to France,…
Trichet's nomination, ECB President to be approved
The European Parliament will debate the nomination of Jean-Claude Trichet as the next President of the European Central Bank (ECB) on 23 September.
Bank of France expects modest recovery
The Bank of France said on September 15 it expects French gross domestic product to expand 0.3 percent on a quarterly basis between July and September, reversing the second quarter's 0.3 percent contraction, according to the Associated Press.
France in hot water at EU finance meeting
After meeting his British counterpart Tony Blair in London on Thursday 11 September, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin claimed a "common view" was emerging about the need not just to respect fiscal discipline but to go for growth as well.,…
Trichet lays down the gauntlet
Subjected to a grilling by its Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in one of the seemingly infinite rooms of the European Parliament's nightmarishly labyrinthine buildings in Brussels on September 11, Jean-Claude Trichet gingerly and with consummate…
Bank of France's Trichet defends EU deficit rules
Bank of France governor Jean-Claude Trichet warned Wednesday that countries due to join the European Union should prepare carefully for subsequent membership of the euro zone, a report from Agence France-Presse said. He also stood by the much criticised…
France urges eurozone shake up
Speaking Thursday French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called for a shake-up of EU economic supervision saying the European Union should establish a formal eurozone council with responsibility for coordinating budget policy, Reuters said.
Slovenia not ready to join EU says France Arhar
Former governor of the central bank of Slovenia, France Arhar, said in an interview reported by the STA News Agency thathe didn't think Slovenia was ready to join the EU yet. If Slovenia wishes to catch up with the EU within ten years, its minimum growth…
Trichet urges Chirac to cut public spending
Bank of France governor Jean-Claude Trichet has called on President Jacques Chirac to reduce spending and introduce reforms to lift growth, according to the Financial Times. In a letter to the President, accompanying the Bank's annual report, Trichet…
Trichet nomination for president approved by ECB
The European Central Bank's Governing Council endorsed Jean-Claude Trichet's candidacy to be the next president of the ECB at its last meeting before the summer break on Thursday, EurActiv reports.
Rumours abound on Trichet successor in France
ECB bound Jean-Claude Trichet is lobbying for Herve Hannoun to take over as governor of the bank of France when Trichet leaves. But politics may scupper the plan, the FT's Observer column reports.
Snow lauds Trichet as superb choice for ECB chief
US Treasury Secretary John Snow met with Bank of France president, and ECB chief in waiting, Jean-Claude Trichet on Friday, according to a report by Agence France Presse. While not commenting on ECB monetary policy, Snow told a news conference that…