国际英语新闻：Sarkozy, Merkel to seek coordinated economic governance

According to French daily Le Monde, Sarkozy is considering a new scheme that groups heads of eurozone states and governments and operates like the "economic government of Europe."

Asked about the newspaper report, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said recent attacks on the euro demonstrated the necessity for the EU to have a "real economic government," which could apply "sanctions" if needed.

However, Le Monde said Germany hadn't accepted Sarkozy's proposal on establishing an "economic government" in Europe though it was not a new initiative.

The French media has disclosed a lot of disagreements and tensions between France and Germany, especially about the proposed reform of Europe since the breakout of the Greek sovereign debt crisis.

Sarkozy has publicly and firmly denied the two countries have any discord on important issues.

The French president was too cautious to publicly lay out his plan for the European economic government, "because any display of Franco-German discord would be fatal to the euro," Le Monde commented.

France and Germany are an "couple" and it's normal for them to have "quarrels," Anne-Marie Idrac, the French state secretary for export, saw it in another way.