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December 6, 2011

France, Germany Call for Altering E.U. Treaty in Response to Debt Crisis 
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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
held a joint address on Monday to call for major changes to the European
Union treaty in response to the sovereign debt crisis threatening the
Eurozone. Speaking in Paris, Sarkozy and Merkel called for a series of
new rules including tighter limits on member states' national debt.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy: "Our preference would be for a treaty
of all 27 members so that nobody feels excluded from the Franco-German
move. But we are perfectly ready to go for a treaty of 17 members open
to all countries that would want to join us."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "We are in a difficult situation and we
need to regain confidence, the acceptance of whether we are trustworthy
in the euro zone, if we can live up to our responsibilities. As the
belief that we can be taken at our word has suffered, many are worried
about whether they can rely on us."



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