Chancellor Angela Merkel defended to parliament in Berlin her stance at a tough two-day European summit, ahead of a vote Friday on key parts of Europe's plan for combating the region's long-running debt crisis, dpa reported.
Merkel told parliament that strict conditions would apply to any assistance provided by the permanent euro bailout fund, the European Stablity Mechanism, after she was forced at the summit to agree to provisions for the ESM to grant direct aid to troubled eurozone banks.
Merkel said parliamentary approval of Europe's fiscal pact on budget discipline and the creation of the ESM would be an important signal of Germany's "determination and solidity in overcoming the euro debt crisis and that Europe is our future."