Europe’s economic woes dominate G8 gathering
President Barack Obama (fourth right) presides at the start of the first working session of the G8 Summit at Camp David, May 19, 2012. From left, clockwise, are Japan‘s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Italy‘s Prime Minister Mario Monti, Canada‘s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Francois Hollande, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, Russia‘s Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, Germany‘s Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. — Reuters picCAMP DAVID, Maryland, May 19 — US President Barack Obama pledged at a Group of Eight summit today to work with Europe on a package that balances growth with debt reduction as world leaders try to prevent the worsening euro zone crisis from destabilising the global economy.
At the wooded Camp David retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, Obama and leaders from other major economic powers are seeking ways to soothe financial markets after worries about Spain’s banking problems and the risk of a Greek exit from the euro zone sent world stocks to their lowest levels this year.
President Hollande (second right) leaves the White House after meeting with President Obama, May 18, 2012. With him are Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius (second left) and French Economy, Finance and Foreign Trade Minister Pierre Moscovici. — Reuters picA shirt-sleeved Obama opened the morning session on the global economy at a rustic lodge, promising to seek ways to restore healthy growth and jobs and address concerns in Europe.
“All of us are absolutely committed to making sure that both growth and stability, and fiscal consolidation, are part of an overall package in order to achieve the kind of prosperity for our citizens we all are looking for,” Obama said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, after an early-morning meeting with Obama, said he detected a “growing sense of urgency that action needs to be taken” on the euro zone crisis.
“Contingency plans need to be put in place and the strengthening of banks, governance, firewalls — all of those things need to take place very fast,” he told reporters.
European Union leaders seemed keen yesterday to stress that they would stand firm in protecting their banks, after news of escalating bad loans raised the spectre that rescuing Spain’s banks would crash the euro zone’s fourth largest economy.
“We will do whatever is needed to guarantee the financial stability of the euro zone,” EU President Herman Van Rompuy said.
Earlier French President Francois Hollande suggested using European funds to inject capital into Spain’s banks, which would mark a significant acceleration of EU rescue efforts.
Balancing a growth agenda with efforts to lower government debt through fiscal belt tightening is a crucial part of the G8 discussions. Obama has aligned himself with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti and the new French president in putting more emphasis on growth.
That places pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pushed fiscal austerity as the prime means of bringing down huge debt levels that are burdening European economies.
Voters in euro zone countries have shown frustration with that approach, ejecting the Greek government, and in France the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy was defeated by Hollande, a socialist, in the May 6 elections.
A draft of the summit communiqué shown to Reuters will stress an “imperative to create growth and jobs”.
There are signs of softening in Germany’s austerity stance.
Its largest industrial union IG Metall struck its biggest pay deal in 20 years early today. The pay increase of 4.3 per cent, more than double Germany’s inflation rate, will boost worker buying power in the euro zone’s richest nation and lift consumption — something the United States long has urged as a means to bolster overall growth throughout the world’s second largest economic region.
Global security
Also on the summit agenda are concerns about oil and food prices as well as Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and North Korea.
Speculation has grown that Obama will use an energy session at the G8 to seek support to tap emergency oil reserves before a European Union embargo of Iranian crude takes effect in July.
But with oil prices already sliding, a move by Obama to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — alone or along with other countries — could expose him to criticism that the emergency supply should only be touched in a supply crisis.
The Camp David summit kicked off four days of intensive diplomacy that will test leaders’ ability to quell unease over the threat of another financial meltdown as well as plans to wind down the unpopular war in Afghanistan.
After the Camp David talks wrap up late this afternoon, Obama will fly to his home town of Chicago where he will host a two-day NATO meeting at which the Afghanistan war will be the central topic. — Reuters
