I propose to take Questions Nos. 24 and 32 together.
Three successive European Councils have confirmed that the third stage of economic and monetary union will begin on 1 January 1999. For its part, the German Government has consistently asserted its commitment to the EMU timetable and its intention of meeting the Maastricht criteria. This stance was publicly reaffirmed by my colleague, the German Finance Minister, following the meeting of Economic and Finance Ministers held in Brussels last Monday. I do not intend to speculate on the German Government's economic forecasts for 1997. I am, however, confident of the strength of the German Government's political commitment to the EMU project and its timetable.