Some German conservatives want Eurobond debate: Report

BERLIN: Members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) have called for a more nuanced debate about joint euro zone bonds, so far rejected by Berlin and party leaders, according to a newspaper report.

The comments, published in Handelsblatt business daily on Tuesday, add to pressure on Merkel to consider bolder crisis steps on the day she meets French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris to discuss ways to resolve the euro zone debt crisis.

CDU parliamentarian Johann Wadephul warned against ruling out so-called Eurobonds, which he said were not necessary at the moment but should not be considered anathema.

"It doesn't make any sense to have a debate that is black and white... I cannot imagine they are the work of the devil," he told the paper.

Another long-term member of the CDU, Armin Laschet, who is also a member of the party's executive committee, supported the idea as a way to further European integration.

"We need further integration steps in Europe, above all in fiscal and finance policy," he said. "The challenges of global markets can only be met with global institutions that are true for Europe especially."

Copyright Reuters, 2010