Trichet Sees ‘Systemic’ Risk Amid Debate on Greek Writedowns

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet warned of threats to the financial system as the conflict among political leaders intensified over how to extricate Europe from the debt crisis.

“The crisis has reached a systemic dimension,” Trichet told European lawmakers in Brussels today. “Sovereign stress has moved from smaller economies to some of the larger countries. The crisis is systemic and must be tackled decisively.”