It would not be "death throes" if the legal service of the EU council of heads of state and government challenged the legality, schauble said on friday in vilnius, lithuania, before a meeting of euro and EU finance ministers.
The council's experts have come to a different conclusion than the EU commission's experts on one particular point. Even if the council's legal service is right, "it's not the death knell," schauble said. "For this you can find a solution."
It was always clear that it would not be easy to introduce the financial transaction tax through increased cooperation between EU countries. There are a "few unrealistic expectations" in germany, schauble said, referring to criticism from the opposition in germany. The latter accuses schauble of delaying the levy on stock exchange transactions.
Luxembourg's finance minister luc frieden, on the other hand, stressed that he very much shared the concerns: "I don't see this tax coming in a short time." the opinion of the legal service of the council must play a rough role in the debate. "If some states in europe do something like this, that's their right," said frieden. But one must always pay attention to the cross-border aspects: "I have always been of the opinion that such a tax only makes sense if it includes all major financial centers."