Several politicians from Germany's ruling coalition criticised Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on Sunday for compromises it made in a deal to strengthen the eurozone bailout fund. Some threaten to vote against the deal, reached early on Saturday by leaders from countries that use the euro currency, when it is presented for approval in Germany's parliament.
While Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle called the deal an acceptable compromise, a lawmaker from his own Free Democrat (FDP) party said it overstepped limits set by Germany's parliament and risked not being approved. "The result contradicts the position of the FDP group in parliament; a majority in the Bundestag (lower house) is thus not secured," Frank Schaeffler told the website of business daily Handelsblatt.
The main bone of contention is changes agreed to let the bailout fund buy the bonds of distressed euro zone member states to make it more flexible and better able to stave off pressure in financial markets.