THE future of the euro is now at stake
THE future of the euro is now at stake, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned yesterday as European officials prepared a bailout package for Ireland and bank shares plunged. Mr Schaeuble spoke as Spain became the latest country to come under pressure from the bond markets. "The uncertainty puts our common currency at stake," he said as pressure mounted on the Government here to pass a Budget to ease the threat to other weak eurozone countries. "If we can't defend this common currency as a sustainably stable currency the consequences would be incalculable," Mr Schaeuble said. "It's extraordinarily important to show that it's possible in Germany to do what we've promoted so often abroad," he said, referring to Berlin's plans to cut more than €80bn from its budget over the next four years. "We have every reason to continue decisively on this path," he added. German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed his sentiments warnin...