– Austria Joins Germany In Opposing Euro Bonds (ZeroHedge, May 22, 2012):
While the euro bond song and dance is all too familiar, being a carbon copy replay of last year, we feel obliged to remind who the key actors are, but more importantly who the key decision makers are. In short: while last year, at least in the first half, it was everyone against Merkozy, demanding that the two AAA rated countries backstop Europe at their own expense, following the French downgrade, France no longer cared if there are Eurobonds and joined the peripheral push to convince Merkel to shoulder the cost of preserving the Eurozone on its own. Germany politely declined. Fast forward to this year, when we get the same, only Hollande is now more vocal than ever knowing full well that he alone will be unable to deliver the “growth”, read incremental leverage, needed to back up his campaign promises. This is, or rather was, the whole point of today’s and tomorrow’s latest European summit which, just like this weekend’s useless G-8 photosession for the world’s leaders to express their support for either Chelsea or Arsenal, will achieve absolutely nothing. Importantly, we now can add at least one more country to the list of those opposed to a AAA-backstopped rescue of the rest of the Eurozone.
From Bloomberg:
Austria’s Finance Minister Maria Fekter said she opposes joint euro-area bonds as they would cost the Alpine republic more interest.