Finland alone in seeking Spanish collateral
No other eurozone states will be joining Finland in its demand for collateral to participate in a Spanish bank bailout. EU economic chief Olli Rehn on Wednesday told Yle that bilateral talks between Finland and Spain were going well.
Finland’s portion of aid to Spanish banks is 600 million euros of the euro group’s first tranche of 30 billion. Any deal between Finland and Spain will require the blessing of all other eurozone states.
Speaking on an Yle talk show on Wednesday evening, EU monetary affairs chief Olli Rehn took a negative view of recent talk of states quitting the common currency.
"It’s worth remembering that public words and actions matter," Rehn said.
The EU Commissioner for economic and monetary affairs said Finland’s collateral talks with Spain were progressing well, though he admitted to not being privy to details of discussions.
The Netherlands previously expressed interest in a collateral deal with Spain, but the country has not pursued any action on the matter. Last year Finland negotiated collateral in return for aid to Greece, but no other member states sought similar deals as the arrangement was perceived as too costly.
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