Germany's central bank has called on France to stick to its EU-mandated budget deficit target, saying that any slippage by such a euro zone heavyweight would further undermine confidence in the bloc's fiscal discipline.
After hints from Olli Rehn, the EU's economic chief, that he was willing to give France more time, Jens Weidmann, president of Germany's Bundesbank, entered the debate on Monday in a speech in Paris, urging the French government to stick to its commitments.