Are Merkel and Schäuble to each other at a distance?
If the German Chancellor, and their most important ministers crosswise due to the debt dispute with Athens? A newspaper report suggests that. But maybe it's also very different.
Wolfgang Schäuble is more than just a number of ministers in the Cabinet Chancellor Angela Merkel. Formally he leads "only" the Ministry of Finance, in fact, he is with the direction in question before the euro policy and beyond. In the current debt dispute with Athens is striking that Schäuble - unlike his boss - and quite frankly undiplomatic the Greek left-wing government and particularly the Minister of Finance Giannis Varoufakis reads the riot act. It also includes a leakage of the damp country from the monetary union from expressly not (any longer).
This could of course be tactics. Schäuble as a kind of "Bad Cop" in this conflict, which consciously seeks the confrontation and the "Grexit" card plays out while Merkel shows more willingness to reach an agreement. In the Greek Government, it behaves quite similar: While Treasury Varoufakis examined the open confrontation and keeps his colleagues from the other euro countries sometimes talks about what the whole bailout policy suffers basically from his perspective, his chief Alexis Tsipras is to moderate.
"The 'Picture' report is nonsense"
But maybe it's also very different. Maybe it just crunches actually between the German chancellor and her key ministers. The "Bild" newspaper claims to have learned that Merkel had their Finance Ministers tips crisis meeting on Monday evening told at the chancellery in Berlin previously nothing. She consulted with French President Francois Hollande, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, ECB President Mario Draghi and IMF chief Christine Lagarde on the debt dispute. As a result of a coordinated between the various creditors compromise proposal has come out - with some concessions about what the budget consolidation terms (although here the more again slid down into recession Greek economic calculation seems to have been taken).
Schäuble again had just happened out of the meeting in advance and not from the Chancellor, but because he told them Lagarde, reports the "Bild" newspaper. And cites a consultant remained anonymous Schaeuble as saying (about Merkel): "That was a solo number from the lady." In addition, the officer had sent in Schäuble's Ministry directs it past ". Merkel can be drawn straight across the table"
It is not clear whether there are indeed large differences in content between Merkel and Schäuble and if so, what they look like. In the report, two examples are given in which represented both publicly same position: The International Monetary Fund must remain necessarily involved as strict supervisor. And a further haircut is taboo. This has not changed even after what is known about the new compromise paper of the creditor, nothing changed.
But whether they really own the Chancellor terminate in doubt allegiance? This is against the background that Merkel last year celebrated its 60th anniversary and alone could already compete on grounds of age for the next general election for a further term. Schäuble, however, is 73 years old in September - he is not only the longest-serving Minister Merkel, but now also the longest serving MP in the history of the Federal Republic.
"The 'Picture' report is nonsense," Reuters quoted a reaction in Berlin and appeals to government circles. Because Greece threatens no rift, thus said another government official. Possibly both follow Merkel as Schäuble, just yet merely continue a certain roles in the ongoing debt dispute with Athens.