BRUSSELS Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. European finance ministers are drawing up plans for how to deal better with the next financial crisis. Germany is one of the few countries openly worried about the decline in bank credit during this one.
Last weekend, Berlin suggested it might “force” its banks to lend more – and that the Bundesbank might even step in to their place. This week it has been lobbying its European partners to relax Basel II rules, which would allow banks to hold less capital in the downturn and so lend more.
