Baluarte
04-28-2013, 04:38 PM
AFP - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said a new anti-euro party "can't be taken seriously" and labelled its core demand "economically insane" in comments published on Sunday.
The small Alternative for Germany (AFD) party wants to ditch the euro and bring back the Deutschmark currency. It has called for an "orderly dissolution" of the 17-member eurozone.
Formed only weeks ago, it has scored up to three percent in some polls, five months ahead of elections in which Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a third term.
Schaeuble told the Focus news weekly that in a narrow election race where every vote counts, "we will also deal with the AFD" and its message.
"We will not do so arrogantly but in the firm belief that a common currency is in Germany's interest," he was quoted as saying. "For Germany, it would be economically insane to leave the euro."
Asked whether he takes the political newcomers seriously, he said: "I want to differentiate: I take seriously the concern people have about their money. But a party that is only against something can't be taken seriously. And it won't succeed in Germany."
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle meanwhile warned that "giving up the euro would mean risking the collapse of Europe," speaking to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
The AFD, unlike many eurosceptic parties in Europe, has so far stayed clear of the far-right fringe and anti-immigrant rhetoric. It has around 10,000 members now and is busy setting up chapters across Germany.
"Given the enormous wave of support we are seeing, I think it's possible we will get double-digit support," a confident party spokesman, Bernd Lucke, told the Tagesspiegel daily on Saturday.
While its support ratings remain low for now -- and below the five percent needed to enter parliament -- some political observers say that support for the party could steal away crucial votes from Merkel's centre-right coalition in the September 22 vote.
Westerwelle voiced a similar concern, saying "it would be terrible if an anti-European party" could inadvertently help the centre-left opposition snatch victory from the Merkel government.
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Defend the euro dogma!
The small Alternative for Germany (AFD) party wants to ditch the euro and bring back the Deutschmark currency. It has called for an "orderly dissolution" of the 17-member eurozone.
Formed only weeks ago, it has scored up to three percent in some polls, five months ahead of elections in which Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a third term.
Schaeuble told the Focus news weekly that in a narrow election race where every vote counts, "we will also deal with the AFD" and its message.
"We will not do so arrogantly but in the firm belief that a common currency is in Germany's interest," he was quoted as saying. "For Germany, it would be economically insane to leave the euro."
Asked whether he takes the political newcomers seriously, he said: "I want to differentiate: I take seriously the concern people have about their money. But a party that is only against something can't be taken seriously. And it won't succeed in Germany."
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle meanwhile warned that "giving up the euro would mean risking the collapse of Europe," speaking to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
The AFD, unlike many eurosceptic parties in Europe, has so far stayed clear of the far-right fringe and anti-immigrant rhetoric. It has around 10,000 members now and is busy setting up chapters across Germany.
"Given the enormous wave of support we are seeing, I think it's possible we will get double-digit support," a confident party spokesman, Bernd Lucke, told the Tagesspiegel daily on Saturday.
While its support ratings remain low for now -- and below the five percent needed to enter parliament -- some political observers say that support for the party could steal away crucial votes from Merkel's centre-right coalition in the September 22 vote.
Westerwelle voiced a similar concern, saying "it would be terrible if an anti-European party" could inadvertently help the centre-left opposition snatch victory from the Merkel government.
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Defend the euro dogma!