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Barroso cautions France on bank bail-out plan
Nov 30, 2008, 18:22 GMT
Paris - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Sunday suggested Brussels may veto France's bank bail-out plan, warning that any deviation from EU regulations could lead to 'the law of the jungle.'
Asked about a report in the Financial Times that the European Commission had blocked France's aid to its six largest banks, Barroso told LCI television, 'We are not blocking it. It is being thoroughly examined.'
On Friday, the Financial Times had reported that EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes had rejected France's 10.5-billion-euro (13.3-billion-dollar) plan because it would enable French banks to use public funds for commercial loans.
Without going into details, Barroso on Sunday suggested that Brussels did have misgivings about the French proposal.
'The Commission's duty is to apply the rules. If the rules are not respected, you get the law of the jungle,' he said, noting that the EU was particularly wary of 'competitive distortions' being introduced into the European banking sector.
Under the French plan, the government would subscribe to subordinated five-year debt issued by the six banks. In exchange, the French banks would commit themselves to increasing their loans to individuals and companies by 3 to 4 per cent in 2009.
The European Commission is worried that the public funds could be used to attract clients.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Everyone wants to blame Capitalism, but no one can show where the Capitalism is in all of this. The United States is not now and has not been a Capitalist country for since LBJ.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMejqeqwQyU
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Adam SmithNov 30th, 2008 - 18:41:12
Listen very carefully to Mister Faber. What you will hear is that no one really knows what his or her assets are worth at the moment and may no know what they are worth for a long time to come. This is a time of transition. All economic matters, valuations in particular, are in a state of flux. Why? Because the whole world has been operating on a phony fiat currency. Looked at from one direction the economy will be perceived to be in a deflationary state. Looked at from another direction it will seem as though the economy is in an inflationary state. Both perceptions will be correct. No, it is NOT good. This is what is known as stagflation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkOD3uyPXRE
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