( Reuters ) - The United States should take measures to strengthen the dollar as its weakness against the euro is causing great concern in the 13-nation currency area, Euro-group chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said.
Juncker told Reuters that European leaders planned to discuss fundamental economic imbalances at a meeting on October 19-22 of the Group of Seven (G7) most industrialised nations.
"It is right that we have begun to have great concern about the exchange rate of the euro against the dollar," he said.
His unusually strong comments on currency levels mark a clear change of tone from September 14, when he told reporters after a meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Porto that he was more worried when the euro was weak.
But the euro was then at $1.3920 and by Friday the single currency rose to $1.4250.
The dollar fell after economic data that supported expectations that the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates again to shore up sluggish economic growth.
The outlook in the euro zone is still for stable or even higher interest rates.
"I am more worried than I was three days ago," said Juncker, who chairs monthly meetings of euro zone finance ministers and the European Central Bank on economic policy discussions.
"It is right that we would like that the intention of the US government to make a strong dollar should be translated more into action, which would mean that the United States would have to act in a way to reduce the balance of payments deficit," Juncker said.
"And that our Chinese and Japanese friends consider in a more consequent way that the fundamentals ... are reflected in exchange rates," added Juncker, who was speaking ahead of an evening conference.