British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said at a press conference held here on Thursday that Britain and Germany agreed that a coordinated response to the credit crunch should focus on reform, containment and help for families and businesses.
The prime minister and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who visited Britain on Thursday, stressed the importance of creating a common set of EU measures to deal with the financial crisis and to ensure "comprehensive action" is taken following the global summit scheduled for November 15.
Brown and Merkel at the press conference highlighted changes to the International Monetary Fund, the building of greater global market supervision and transparency and improved cross-border cooperation in times of crisis as key areas of reform.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (L) meets Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) at Downing Street in London October 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) On halting the spread of the current crisis, Merkel backed the Brown's call for additional reserves to be made available for an IMF package aimed at helping states in economic difficulty.
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (L) embraces Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel at Downing Street in London October 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Brown added that it was vital to get banks lending once more to families and businesses "on normal terms." He welcomed a decision by the European Investment Bank to make four billion pounds in loans available to British enterprises.
European leaders will meet in Brussels on Friday to hold final talks in preparation for the special global summit to be hosted by President Bush on 15 November.
Source:Xinhua
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