Bail Blame: Barosso defends Merkel on austerity

What is happening in France or in Portugal is not the fault of Mrs Merkel or of Germany, he says.

BERLIN: European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Saturday defended German Chancellor Angela Merkel against criticism that she is to blame for harsh austerity measures being implemented across Europe.

“What is happening in France or in Portugal is not the fault of Mrs Merkel or of Germany,” he said in an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. “This crisis and the problems that go with it are not the result of German policies or the fault of the European Union. They are the result of excessive spending policies, of lack of competition and irresponsible action by the financial markets,” he said.

An attack last week by French Socialists on Merkel’s drive for belt-tightening was the latest criticism of the German Chancellor who is seen by many in Europe as the main driver of EU-imposed austerity.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.

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