MEPs welcome EU summit conclusions to promote growth and save the euro - but would have preferred something far tougher.

Save the euro

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15527063/N001-110405-001-EN.srt

was the most favourable comment  when MEPs debated the EU summit

and moves to promote growth  and protect the euro.

Even those most supportive  of the measures were not uncritical.

We need a strong monetary union  where the Council cannot by majority vote

change the Commission's expert opinion,  so that Member States have to comply.

Fears of a default have raised Portugal's  borrowing costs. Greece pays even more.

The Euro Plus Pact on labour markets,  pensions and corporation tax isn’t binding

and bail-out decisions will require  unanimous intergovernmental agreement.

Many MEPs favour  more radical solutions.

If we take one lesson  from the Japanese crisis of the 90s,

it’s that you have to clean up  your banking sector

before you can recover  on the economic front.

Ireland suffers high interest rates  on its bail-out loans

and harsh austerity measures  while bank bond-holders stay safe.

The 700 billion euro stability fund  won’t be in place before 2013

For this MEP, workers are paying  for the banks’ recklessness

These are not our debts.  They weren’t created by ordinary people,

but by speculators,  developers and bankers.

but to other international  bankers and speculators.

Some claim national interests  have been put before those of the EU.

but an economic springtime  still seems a long way off.