French President Nicolas Sarkozy said this evening that European Union countries were united ahead of a world summit in Washington on how to reform the global financial system, shaken by economic crisis.
Mr Sarkozy, speaking after a meeting of 27 EU leaders in Brussels, appeared to play down signs of
disagreement between Paris and Berlin on the degree of cooperation needed.
"There is a pretty detailed common position from Europe," he told a news conference. "We will be
defending a common position, a vision ... for restructuring our financial system."
He said general unity on principles did not exclude differences in emphasis among different countries.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU agreed there was no place for protectionism in any
measures to be agreed in Washington next week.
France is eager for Europe to make its voice heard on the international stage, believing the financial crisis, which began in US markets, has weakened the United States and provided the EU with an opportunity to boost its influence.
EU leaders will go to Washington buoyed by the belief that it was their €2.2 trillion round of bank rescues last month that helped avert financial meltdown sparked by a credit crunch coming from the
United States.
France's European Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet had criticised Germany for having vetoed this week a French call for an internationally coordinated response to economic challenges. "I think public opinion around Europe expects coordination and unity ... National and disorderly attitudes
are not a good solution," Mr Jouyet told French radio.