Zeit: Even Germans are feeling anxious – they have the impression that Monetary Union is no longer what they were promised. Rules were broken. People are apprehensive that the euro will become a soft currency. Trichet: There are many ways of seeing things in a democracy.
Concerns like these were voiced even when I was involved in negotiating the Treaty of Maastricht with Theo Waigel, the Minister of Finance, Horst Köhler, Staatssekretär, and the other members of the German delegation. But the facts are much more important. For instance, it was unfortunately Germany and France which weakened the Stability and Growth Pact in 2004 and 2005.