Strasbourg, 3 September - Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Federal Minister for Finance, is today at the Council of Europe in the context of an event organised by the French National College of Administration (ENA) and ESCP Europe (European Identity and Global Perspective). The event is placed under the patronage of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland.

“Which way out for the Euro zone?” This is the question which Mr Schäuble tried to answer during an encounter with French and international students from the two colleges in the Assembly Chamber of the Palais de l’Europe at 2 pm. Phillipe Boillat, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe also spoke on this occasion. Joseph Daul, Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the Assembly’s EPP parliamentary group, chaired the session.

Institutional reforms and political integration are needed to help Europe out of the financial crisis, declared Minister Schäuble. He proposes European treaty changes and the transfer of competences from national to European level, even suggesting the direct election of the EU Commission’s President, as part of a series of reforms needed to restore confidence and democratic approval. “There is no alternative to European integration,” the German Federal Minister for Finance said. “We lose together and we win together.” (more...)

Video: Wolfgang Schäuble’s speech

Photos: Facebook gallery

See also: Start@Europe : 800 ESCP students from 35 nationalities place themselves in European Deputies' shoes in Strasbourg