Helmut Kohl bepleit Zwitserse deelname aan de euro (en)

In a rare interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung today, the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl has said that countries not in the EU could join the euro.

Mr Kohl, who was leader of Germany from 1982 to 1998, said, "I can imagine that one or the other country will adopt the euro without becoming an EU member".

Mentioning Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU, he said, "I think that in the not too distant future people will pay with the euro in Switzerland. Because there, after several referendums, it will be recognised that the euro is good for Switzerland". He also cites the Ukraine as a possible euro member outside the EU.

The former leader believes that this would be a good way to bring countries that do not have the possibility of joining the EU closer to the Union.

Furthermore, Mr Kohl, who is thought of as one of the architects of the euro, criticises present EU countries who have decided to retain their own currencies - the UK, Sweden and Denmark.

He says, "Some European Union countries have not adopted the euro. One could say they have stepped on the brakes. But time is against the laggards".

Two speed Europe: damaging

On other issues, he criticises the idea of a two-speed Europe - suggested by France and Germany as a possibility if no Constitution can be agreed upon.

He said, "it would be damaging to allow a two-speed Europe", adding that none of the new Member States are in favour of such an idea.

He is also critical of the German strategy of linking the future funding of the EU to the question of the Constitution. He says it is "bad style to threaten that this country or that country will get no more money after a failure [of the talks]".