German Finance Minister urges EU members to prioritize unity over national interests

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil publicly urged European Union member states not to hide behind national interests and called for immediate progress on a capital markets union ahead of a scheduled EU finance ministers meeting. Speaking on February 16, 2026, Klingbeil emphasized that the initiative represents a critical opportunity to mobilize roughly €10 trillion in bank deposits currently held across the 27-nation bloc. This policy could reallocate these idle funds into strategic sectors within the same year if progress is made, marking what has been described as a turning point for the EU.