Co-operation by EU reaches a higher plane

Hans Eichel, Germany's Finance Minister, offered his EU colleagues Laurent Fabius of France, Vincenzo Visco of Italy and Gordon Brown of the UK, a lift to the Group of Seven meeting in Japan in the Luftwaffe Airbus 310 used by the German government. The ministers leaped at the chance to display European unity and a sincere desire to cut out wasteful spending at the same time.