Germany wants 1 billion euro fund with France to support digital start-ups

[December 13, 2016]  BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday he wanted to jointly set up with France a 1 billion euro ($1.06 billion) fund to support start-ups in the digital economy.

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and French Minister for Economy and Finance Michel Sapin pose for a picture at the Franco-German digital summit in Berlin, Germany, December 13, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

"We must set ourselves ambitious goals," Gabriel said at a German-Franco conference on digitalisation. "Growth capital is still something that we are lacking."

Gabriel added that Europe should not take dogmatic positions on debt policy.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Madeline Chambers)

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.