Merkel, Hollande determined to protect eurozone

Added by Nigel Shelbourne on July 27, 2012

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande said in a joint statement on Friday they are “deeply committed to the integrity of the eurozone”.

Both leaders emphasized the need to quickly implement decisions made by a European Union summit held during June.

The leaders added eurozone members and European institutions “must comply with their obligations, each in their own area of competence.”

Member states of the eurozone are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain; with a total population of approximately 331m.