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07 November 2012

FT: Draghi reassures Germans on banking union


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European banks should be spared from having to pool their deposit guarantee schemes, Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, said on Wednesday in the latest concession to German fears over banking union proposals.


Addressing a German mutual banking event in Frankfurt, Mr Draghi said: “Financial union does not have to imply the pooling of deposit guarantee schemes, an issue that I know is of concern in this country. Organising and funding deposit guarantee schemes can remain a national responsibility, with comparable effectiveness.”

While Mr Draghi’s comments chime with the thinking of officials in Brussels, it was the most explicit acknowledgment yet that plans for a single deposit guarantee scheme, already shelved, may not be revived.

Establishing a common backstop for the €5 trillion of deposits in the eurozone has proved by far the most politically contentious element of Europe’s drive to form a banking union. Since the autumn, Member States led by Germany have been gradually scaling back ambitions for when and how a single deposit insurance scheme should be established.

As recently as two weeks ago, Vítor Constâncio, Mr Draghi’s deputy, told a committee hearing at the UK House of Lords that he believed such a scheme would follow common supervision and bank resolution arrangements, although “not in the very near future” as there were concerns about “potential significant commitments” by Member States.

Full article (FT subscription required)

Draghi speech © ECB



© Financial Times


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