French Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin meets German Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl today for informal talks, with both sides swearing allegiance to a strong and punctual single European currency in the crucial months leading to monetary union.
The meeting in Bonn will be their first informal talks since the French general election.
French government sources said Dr Kohl and Mr Jospin were likely to discuss France's call for a greater emphasis in Europe on creating jobs and for intensified economic and political co-operation under monetary union.
In the run-up to the meeting, both Bonn and Paris have restated their commitment to the aims of launching economic and monetary union (EMU) on time on January 1st, 1999 and ensuring the new currency was stable.
"The euro must be a currency that meets our expectations for stability," Dr Kohl said in Berlin yesterday. He also dismissed any suggestion he would sacrifice the strength of the euro for the sake of European integration.
France, which like Germany has problems in meeting the budget target for EMU, sent a similar message on Tuesday.
The talks are being closely watched for proof that Franco-German relations are improving again after strains which followed Mr Jospin's election victory. Since then, the French government has reassured Germany and other European partners about its commitment to fiscal discipline.
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