Germany leaves merger decisions to private sector after Commerzbank row

Chancellor Angela Merkel, when asked about Commerzbank, said on Thursday that the German government has no fixed position on mergers. Asked if she was in favour of Dutch bank ING taking a stake in Commerzbank, she said: "Regarding the banking landscape, those are private sector decisions." "There is no precedent from the German government for anything that develops in this area," Merkel told a news conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, adding that there were no bans on international cooperation.

The organisation that defends shareholder interests in the Netherlands on Wednesday called on ING Groep to clarify whether it is interested in acquiring German rival Commerzbank.