Euro Spat Erupts as Fekter Upstages Juncker at Crisis Meeting

A euro-area finance ministers’ meeting to bolster Europe’s crisis-fighting efforts was thrown into confusion as a spat between Luxembourg and Austria erupted over who got to brief journalists first on the outcome.

Jean-Claude Juncker, 57, who chairs the meetings, abruptly cancelled a press conference in Copenhagen yesterday after Austria’s Maria Fekter stole the Luxembourg prime minister’s thunder and signalled to reporters that the group had limited new bailout lending to 500 billion euros ($667 billion).