German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke at length with one another Sunday by phone about the economic crisis, a spokesman in Berlin said, according to DPA. The talk, in advance of their consultations with Britain and the European Commission, also covered global-warming issues, said Merkel's spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm. He termed it "a long, friendly conversation." Both are to meet at the European Union summit this Thursday and Friday, and in Wilhelm's words, "make a joint success" of the upcoming EU pact on climate change and energy. Merkel has come under fire both at home and abroad for her rejection of dramatic quick-fire economic stimulus moves by government to prevent the recession worsening. She contends her government's spending decisions since October, which have totalled 32 billion euros (40 billion dollars), all qualify as economic stimulus, though some critics charge the spending had been planned long-term. According to Wilhelm, Sarkozy "welcomed" the "German economic package." Sarkozy this week unveiled a 26-billion-euro emergency stimulus plan that includes a 1-billion-euro loan for carmakers and 5 billion euros of new public-sector investments. "The chancellor voiced her satisfaction at the French plan, which has a similar scale to the German one as a proportion of gross domestic product," Wilhelm said.
