But he added if we get a commitment for all the rest i

The agreement was much easier and more rapid than expected. After less than three hours of discussions, Nicolas Sarkozy showed his satisfaction yesterday evening in Brussels. "It is a United Europe, with a clear message, denouncing the bonus scandal and some irresponsible behaviour that occur at the G20 in Pittsburgh," he said after a working dinner Flash with its European counterparts. Europe is to keep the global leadership of the countries of the g-20 in the remediation of the financial system, submitting next week before the leaders of the large industrialized for the bonus limitation and requiring new commitments from partners in the fight against climate change, to the Copenhagen Summit, to be held at the end of the year.

Hardliners defended initially by the France and the Germany for bonuses paid to traders prevailed unanimously in the twenty-seven. "Given the informal nature of our meeting, it will not embrace conclusions." "I however intend to prepare a short text adopted by common agreement, intended to serve as a common basis for the EU to Pittsburgh", warned the Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt, in his letter of invitation. Version adopted last night draws widely on the Franco-German proposals, to which it was then joined the United Kingdom. It contains notable advances to a minimum agreement found by the Finance Ministers of the g-20, September 5 in London.

Thus, the text calls the g-20 "to adopt binding rules" on the bonus. The Swedish Presidency of the Union has called for a "cap" of these wages. Twenty-seven agreed that compliance with these rules should be guaranteed "by the threat of sanctions at national level. In the French camp, it specifies that such sanctions could be legal, financial - the State could for example decide to no longer work with the banks that flout the rules - but also prudential: it would impose more recalcitrant specific funds. "The advantage of the latter, is that standards are already common," explained yesterday a diplomat.

"Need for clearer signals.

European leaders also agreed to "consider ways to limit the variable remuneration, either from the fixed remuneration report, income or profits of the Bank". "President Obama has realized that we will require specific commitments in Pittsburgh," still explained Nicolas Sarkozy, who felt that common ground could be found with the American President. According to him, the bone of contention between the two shores of the Atlantic is on "global limitation of the amount of the bonus. "But, he added, if we get a commitment for all the rest, i.e. on the unemployed, the fact that the payment of these bonuses is spread at the time, and on banks own funds requirements, it can be said that we have found an acceptable agreement.".European leaders also planned to require of their American hosts that they clarify their position on the fight against climate change. "We need clearer signals on the part of the United States", warned Wednesday Fredrik Reinfeldt, who suggested that the twenty-seven solemnly ask "to all countries that have not yet done so to take urgently ambitious commitments to reduce their emissions of greenhouse in the medium term".In addition, Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he would take in the coming days with the Germany an initiative to introduce a tax at the borders of Europe "to rebalance the competition between the countries commit to reduce their emissions of CO2 and other", so that the first are not disadvantaged from the latter.