Merkel Said to Back Lower Bailout Rates for Greece, Ireland

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers she would back lower interest rates for emergency loans if Greece agrees to sell state assets and Ireland backs a common corporate tax base in the euro region.

Merkel’s comments in a closed-door briefing to German lawmakers on the eve of today’s European Union summit came as EU leaders seek to break a deadlock by a March 25 deadline on reinforcing their bailout plan and coordinating economic policies, said four lawmakers who attended the session of the parliament’s European Affairs Committee in Berlin.