Fekter: "Eurogroup Chief Must Be Head of Government"

People ♦ Published: March 6, 2012; 13:12 ♦ (Vindobona)

Austria’s Finance Minister Maria Fekter said the next leader of the group of euro-area finance ministers has to be a head of his or her government in order to have the necessary authority.

Fekter: "Eurogroup Chief Must Be Head of Government" / Picture: © Vindobona.org

“The suitable successor for Juncker ought to be head of government, so he can be the first among equals and not a finance minister, who then gets vetoed by his head of government,” Fekter told reporters in Vienna late yesterday.

The person also should have financial expertise, she said, adding that “he should be from a country that isn’t currently in a program, but which…