Angela Merkel, German chancellor, on Wednesday threw her weight behind calls from French president Nicolas Sarkozy for tougher international curbs on bankers’ bonuses ahead of next month’s G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

“Bonuses will be a central issue (at the summit) because it is irritating that some banks are continuing almost exactly as in the past,” Ms Merkel told a television interview, suggesting attempts to rein in excessive executive pay in the financial sector had been unsuccessful.