German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said agreements reached at an EU summit this week will solve the euro zone's debt crisis and that Germany needs a strong Europe.
UK's Chancellor George Osborne said he would use his 2012 budget to help those at the bottom of the earnings ladder, hinting he could go further in lifting more people out of paying income tax.
Britain's Conservative-led government will trim an extra 10 billion pounds (US$16 billion) a year from its welfare budget and make cuts across the board in the next phase of austerity if re-elected, its finance minister today.