France's foreign minister urged Britain to reach a compromise over the European Union's budget, saying Monday that the EU doesn't need a financial "crisis" on top of a political one. Keeping up pressure on Britain ahead of an EU summit this week, Philippe Douste-Blazy called for "an effort" from London on the rebate it gets from the EU. The EU is «in crisis _ there's no use hiding it from ourselves,» Douste-Blazy said on RTL radio. "So we need a compromise." Britain is resisting pressure from the 24 other EU members to give up the rebate worth billions of pounds (dollars/euros) each year. The rebate has been paid to Britain since 1984. France and others say that Britain's economic growth since then means it no longer needs the money. "The British have to consider the circumstances in which they received their check in 1984. At the time there was a serious economic recession in Britain, and high unemployment. Today, growth is strong, unemployment is at 4.5 percent," Douste-Blazy said in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro.
