The Times - President Macron challenged Angela Merkel to relax her purse strings for the good of Europe as he criticised Germany’s “fetish” for a balanced budget.
Speaking after receiving the Charlemagne prize from the German city of Aachen for work to unify Europe, Mr Macron, 40, said Germany must “act now” on his proposals to boost growth in Europe. Germany has unveiled its fifth consecutive balanced budget at a time when many politicians, EU allies and economists are calling for more spending on infrastructure. “In Germany, there cannot be a perpetual fetish for budget and trade surpluses because they are achieved at the expense of others,” Mr Macron said.
