Capitalism has to be changed, French President Sarkozy says

In his opening address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, being held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland on Thursday, January 27, 2010, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said that it will not be

In his opening address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, being held in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland on Thursday, January 27, 2010, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France said that it will not be possible to emerge from the global economic crisis and protect against future crises if the economic imbalances that are at the root of the problem are not addressed.

โ€œCountries with trade surpluses must consume more and improve the living standards and social protection of their citizens,โ€ he remarked. โ€œCountries with deficits must make an effort to consume a little less and repay their debts.โ€

The worldโ€™s currency regime is central to the issue, Sarkozy argued. Exchange rate instability and the under-valuation of certain currencies lead to unfair trade and competition, he said. โ€œThe prosperity of the post-war era owed a great deal to Bretton Woods, to its rules and its institutions. That is exactly what we need today; we need a new Bretton Woods.โ€

Sarkozy said that France would place the reform of the international monetary system on the agenda when it chairs the G8 and G20 next year.
In his address, Sarkozy also called for an examination of the nature of globalization and capitalism. โ€œThis is not a crisis in globalization; this is a crisis of globalization,โ€ he said. โ€œFinance, free trade and competition are only means and not ends in themselves.โ€

Sarkozy added that banks should stick to analyzing credit risk, assessing the capacity of borrowers to repay loans and finance economic growth. โ€œThe role of the bank is not to speculate.โ€

He also questioned the rewarding of high compensation and bonuses for CEOs whose companies lose money. Capitalism should not be replaced but it has to be changed, the French president declared. โ€œWe will only save capitalism by reforming it, by making it more moral.โ€

Source: World Economic Forum

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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