France and Germany united on strategy to fight global slowdown: French minister

[September 19, 2019]   PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany are agreed on a joint strategy to respond to a global economic slowdown at a time of international trade tensions, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier attends a joint news conference after a meeting in Paris, France, September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

In a news conference alongside Germany's finance and economy ministers, Le Maire said the strategy was based on three pillars: "keep reducing public debt where it is necessary. And it is the case in France; keep pursuing structural reforms, as we are doing in France; have budget policies that can take up the baton from monetary policy."

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Writing by Matthieu Protard; Editing by Richard Lough)

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