Germany calls for binding debt limits in Europe

BERLIN: Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says the country's constitutional amendment against piling up deficits could be a model for Europe as a whole.

Westerwelle said on Monday that Germany's so-called ``debt brake,'' a binding rule to cut back borrowing, is needed at the European Union level.

In a speech on the EU in Berlin he said that Germany's constitutional amendment has a ``pleasant disciplining effect.''

Westerwelle also reiterated Germany's call for faster and tougher sanctions for European countries piling up unsustainable deficits in violation of EU rules. He says those countries should see all of their EU funds swiftly suspended.